The Salonculinaire.com web-based knowledge assessment system

Salonculinaire.com is an Australian website targeting professional commercial chefs, who seek to continuously improve the professional standards of the industry. Applicants must agree to the Australian Culinary Codes of Practices to be approved as a subscriber. As of August 2009, 480 chefs have applied and been individually approved as subscribers. Salon Culinaire.com has many features, including a web-based culinary knowledge assessment system. 

Certified Chef.Com is a sister site of Salon Culinaire .com. and is devoted to details of Salonculinaire.com web-based knowledge assessment system.

Associations, and organisations may contract salonculinaire.com to utilise the web-based knowledge assessment system on a fee for service basis.

Reasons that associations, and organisations may contract to use the system include:

a) Online quizzes

b) Pre-employment culinary knowledge screening service

c) Culinary knowledge competitions

d) Certification of commercial chefs at various levels

The features of Salonculinaire.com web-based knowledge assessment system:

A major feature of the system is it's flexibility to assess chefs' culinary knowledge as a part of any certification process. Example: The corporative project with the Australian Culinary Federation in the development, setup and linking to Salon Culinaire.com for the "A.C.F Certified Chef Program".

Diversity:

Technical questions can be selected with different degrees of difficulty, ranging from the basic understanding of a commercial kitchen operation and professional food preparation to advanced culinary knowledge and kitchen administration. The testing system uses a database of questions that are linked to over thirty technical cookery focused subjects and subdivided in over 100 subcategories.

Question types:

Calculations - Essay - Match - Multiple choice - Short answer - True / false

Subject in salonculinaire.com database:

Basic culinary preparations * Brigade leadership * Butchery and meat cookery * Communication in a multicultural brigade * Compliance * Culinary terminology * Decision making in a commercial kitchen * Eggs and farinaceous * Equipment * Ethics and conventions * Skills assessment using experience as a base * Fish * Shellfish * Food Science * Fruit, herbs and spices * Global culinary knowledge * Global culinary knowledge (Advanced) * Hot and Cold Sweets * Hygiene and HACCP * Kitchen Management (Advanced) * Kitchen Management (Basic) * Larder * Buffet  * Management styles * Menu Planning * Methods of Cookery * Mise - en - place * Nutrition * Occupational Safety * Pastry * Cakes * Yeast * Poultry and game * Practical creativity *Problem solving * Product and stores * Professional attitudes * Salads and vegetables * Sandwiches * Canapés * Stock soups and sauces * Stress management * Techniques * Time management.

Salonculinaire.com question policy:

a) Unique questions may be added by an organisation to the database for a project.

b) Questions emanating from an external source are uniquely identified in the database and belong to the forwarding agent for their sole use.

c) The correct answer to a specific technical question must be able to be authenticated

Assessment Feedback:

The system can  provide instant feedback from a simple pass grade to complex comments. (Or if required, complete confidentiality) 

The assessment software minimizes the risk for cheating:

a) Tests are timed. (Inhibits online or book research, as the candidate either instantly knows the answer or not.)

b) The questions are randomized (Inhibits using two computers, one for research and one for the assessment)

c) The keyboard is locked and inhibits the use of the right mouse key to access data while in test mode)

D) Limited number of tests (The number of a test attempts can be configured from one to unlimited)

Fees to contract the use of Salonculinaire.com web-based knowledge assessment system:

Fees are based on the extent of the project and includes two components.

1. includes a setup cost:

Determined by the time required for discussions, developing profile, rules, project specific information, linking the project to the question database and displaying the project on certified chef.com and or on salonculinaire.com

2. Includes a per capita use:

Determined by the extent of the individual linking, recording and reporting requirements.

 For details or a quote contact George Hill.

Associations and organisations that employ the Salonculinaire.com web-based knowledge assessment system must have in place:

a) Suitably qualified personal in the assessment and selection process where required

b) A set of quality management procedures that ensures accountability

c) A method that constantly monitors the whole process

d) The safe and confidential custody of records

e) A structure that regularly reviews and continually improves the selection procedures

Vision

A long term vision is to have a certified chef update course that addresses, trends, legislative changes, and other commercial cookery topics. Possibly online. This will be investigated by Salonculinaire.com with suitable institutions

At Salonculinaire.com we are serious about professional standards, the image and the underlying meaning of the term” chef” and tenaciously guard that.

There are a alternative certified chefs programs around the world candidates and should study them all to evaluate which one best suites their career path. Remembering the greater the requirements to enter the program, the more rigorous the process to achieve certification, combined with the greater the accountability of the accrediting organisation the more the certification will be valued

Insignia:

A certificate from the association - medal - lapel badge - window decal - office plaque are a few of the items that only registered certified chefs will be able to obtain (with their registered numbers identified on them).

For example: Potential badge styles that show the cook/chef is Certified chef at salonculinaire.com or other associations, and organisations (In discussion) Organisation logo or initials can be easily added) examples are available.