Three Educators Take ACF’s Certified Master Pastry Chef® Exam in August
28 July 2014
Pastry-chef instructors from Joliet Junior College, SAIT Polytechnic and The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts hope to become the 12th, 13th and 14th CMPCs in the United States.
Four pastry chefs from across the nation will gather at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 16-23, for the ultimate test—the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Certified Master Pastry Chef® (CMPC) exam. The eight-day long exam gives candidates the opportunity to earn the highest professional distinction available and join the elite group of only 11 CMPCs in the nation.
The Certified Master Chef® (CMC) program was initiated in 1981 and granted official recognition by the World Association of Chefs Societies the next year. The CMPC examination, first held in 1993, requires exacting familiarity and proficiency in a broad range of pastry styles and techniques. The most recent CMPC exam was held in 2005 at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Frank Vollkommer, CMPC, corporate executive chef at Hillcrest Foods in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was the only candidate to pass the exam and receive the master-chef certification. Currently, there are 67 CMCs and 11 CMPCs in the United States, with a CMC exam scheduled for late 2014.
Those with master-chef certification from the ACF possess a foundation of quality experience, practiced skills of the highest standard and the ability to perform for eight days under extreme pressure. In order to apply for the CMPC exam, candidates are required to provide documentation that they are a Certified Executive Pastry Chef® or Certified Culinary Educator®, two letters of recommendation from current CMPCs or CMCs, and proof that they have completed the rigorous education and experience requirements. They must also secure funding for the cost of the exam process, including the exam fee, travel expenses and practice materials.
“Embarking on the journey to become a Certified Master Pastry Chef is an accomplishment in itself,” said Ken Arnone, CMC, chair of the ACF CMC/CMPC subcommittee and owner, KA-CMC LLC in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. “These four chefs will undergo an intensive eight-day test of their culinary skills and knowledge knowing that if they succeed they will join a small group of chefs who have shown the commitment, hard work and expertise to accomplish this most challenging task. We wish them the best of luck on the CMPC exam.”
During the exam, candidates must demonstrate well-rounded expertise by passing each daily test with a minimum passing score of 70 points out of 100. Candidates may continue with the examination if they fail one segment, but they must maintain a cumulative average score of 75% or they are ineligible to continue. The eight segments are: nutritionally balanced baking; the artistic heart of baking; creative composition/freestyle and contemporary pastry mystery basket; classical tortes; symphony of plated desserts and presentation of pastry arts buffet; chocolates and petits fours with centerpiece; international pastries; and grand buffet. Scores are tallied based on kitchen skills and presentation and tasting. Candidates are evaluated by ACF-certified peers during each segment.
The four CMPC candidates are:
• Andy Chlebana, CEPC, CCA, culinary-arts instructor/pastry chef, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.
• Victoria German, CEPC, baking and pastry-arts instructor, SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary, Alberta
• Susan Notter, CEPC, pastry-arts program director, The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts—YTI Career Institute, Lancaster
• Orlando Santos, CEPC, executive pastry chef, MGM Grand Detroit
For more information about the candidates or the exam, visit www.acfchefs.org/CMPC. The ACF will announce which chefs, if any, earned the distinction of Certified Master Pastry Chef on its website and in a press release on August 25. To access ACF press releases, visit www.acfchefs.org/pressreleases.