Culinary Arts
VCC's culinary arts program is one of the most highly respected industry training programs in the country, led by experienced, award-winning chefs. Our students and graduates also win major competitions, in Canada and abroad. Fully recognized by the Industry Training Authority, students earn apprenticeship qualifications in addition to a VCC credential. Graduates of this 11-month program could be eligible to enter the second year of a three year apprenticeship.
If you know the admission requirements,
Find out more about this program:
- Program Description
- Career Prospects
- Admission Requirements
- Program Status
- Apply to this Program
- Fees and Other Costs
- Additional Information
- Courses
- Check Course Schedule
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Program Description
Students in this program prepare as many as 500 meals per day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner in the cafeteria as well as lunch and dinner in JJ's Restaurant at VCC's Downtown campus. This kind of training gives students the opportunity to learn important skills while developing hands-on experience.
Under a new apprenticeship model, the culinary arts program at VCC provides a number of added benefits for students. Some of these benefits include:
- VCC sponsors and signs up students as apprentices until the end of the program
- Students earn apprentice hours while training at VCC
- VCC can accept previous culinary experience towards apprentice hours
- Students qualify to write Professional Cook 1 and Cook 2 provincial exams, which lead to a Red Seal
See changes to apprentice financial support
The program consists of 11 stages of professional cook training. Each month, students move into specifically designed kitchens to learn all aspects of the provincial cooking curriculum, including a dining room component. Daily lectures and practical demonstrations are carefully designed to cover the topics at each stage of training. Most daily training plans (with the exception of the first month) are designed to give students approximately 75% practical hands-on food preparation experience and 25% theory (the first month is based on 50% practical and 50% theory, while months 10 and 11 are based on 100% practical evaluation).
In the first three months, students gain general knowledge of the specific sections of cook training. In the next four months, students work with specialty items and further increase their skills with à la carte and banquet items.
Students are required to achieve a minimum 70% on all courses and exams. Class times will vary month to month, from early morning to early afternoon, and from early afternoon to early evening.
Topic
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Career Prospects
Graduates will find excellent opportunities for employment in all areas of the food service industry, including positions such as assistant cooks or apprentices in restaurants, hotels, aircraft flight kitchens, trains, cruise ships, kitchens in institutions, camps and other food service related areas in the hospitality industry.
Information about graduate outcomes
Admission Requirements
General
VCC welcomes applications from Canadian citizens, permanent residents and international students.
International students
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VCC welcomes international students from around the world to the college's academic or career programs. To learn more about language requirements for your program of interest, please read our English-language requirements guide; to learn more about how to apply, please see the VCC International website. All international students pay international tuition fees. For more information, please contact VCC's international education office at study@vcc.ca or 604.443.8600. We look forward to meeting you. |
As Vancouver Community College is a post-secondary institution committed to
educating adult learners, applicants should be 18 years of age or older or a graduate of a secondary school.
Please note that you must submit official transcripts and educational documents to support your application; unfortunately, we cannot accept photocopies or fax versions.
Program Specific
Seats are offered to applicants who have met all admission requirements, on a first-qualified, first-served basis.
- Grade 10 graduation or equivalent. Applicants who do not have Grade 10 may complete the VCC adult basic education reading, writing and math assessments.
- 100 hours of industry related experience.
- Foodsafe Certificate Level 1. See: FoodSafe
- Applicants for whom English is a second language should write an English language assessment. Please note this program is Canadian Language Benchmarked at Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 7, and Writing 6.
- Academic math 10 and English 10 strongly recommended.
Recommended characteristics
Applicants should be able to perform the daily tasks associated with working in a professional kitchen.
- Standing for prolonged periods of time
- Regular lifting and transportation of heavy objects
- Efficiently functioning in extreme heat
- Performing in a busy, fast-paced and stressful environment
- Strong and efficient organizational skills, ability to multi-task
- Motor skills and physical capability needed to efficiently and safely use knives and other trade related tools and implements, efficiently and safely operate industrial machinery
- Ability to present tasteful, flavorful and attractive meals on a consistent basis
- Some creativity and artistic talent an asset
- Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written English (applicants whose first language is not English may be required to complete an English language assessment)
Program Status
Accepting applications
(approximate 10 to 12 month waitlist)
VCC is accepting applications from international students.
Apply to this Program
The first step, apply early. Students who have officially applied and met all admission requirements are sent a letter of acceptance approximately four to five months in advance of the next available start date. A first payment is required to reserve a space in the program.
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In Person|
Notification Alert: System Maintenance Due to scheduled maintenance, web student self-service, including online application and registration, will be unavailable starting on Monday, May 20 at 8:00 PM. Thank you for your patience. If you would like an email notification after the system maintenance is complete, please fill out our contact form. |
Please apply when the system maintenance is complete.
Fees and Other Costs
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International Tuition Fees
- All international students pay international tuition fees. For more information, please contact VCC's international education office at study@vcc.ca or 604.443.8600. |
Other Costs
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Additional Information
Attend an information session to learn more about culinary arts at VCC. The tour lasts approxximately one hour and is very informative. Classrooms, the cafeteria and JJ's Restaurant are visited. Classes are in session so applicants can see what it is like to be a culinary arts student at VCC.
Health Requirements:
Courses
 Term 1 |
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| Course Name |
Outline |
Course Code |
Credits |
| Baking and Desserts 1 |
-- | CULI 1140 |
4.0 |
| Basic Kitchen Skills |
-- | CULI 1121 |
2.0 |
| Cold Kitchen |
-- | CULI 1127 |
1.0 |
| Hot & Cold Breakfast Cooking |
-- | CULI 1124 |
2.0 |
| Hot & Cold Sandwich Prep |
-- | CULI 1122 |
2.0 |
| Kitchen Management & Health Care |
-- | CULI 1125 |
1.0 |
| Meat and Poultry Cooking |
-- | CULI 1131 |
1.0 |
| Meat, Poultry, Seafood Cooking |
-- | CULI 1136 |
2.0 |
| Meat, Poultry, Seafood Cutting |
-- | CULI 1135 |
4.0 |
| Safety, Sanitation & Equipment |
-- | CULI 1120 |
2.0 |
| Seafood Cooking |
-- | CULI 1132 |
1.0 |
| Stock, Soup & Sauce Cooking |
-- | CULI 1126 |
2.0 |
| Vegetable and Starch Cooking |
-- | CULI 1130 |
1.0 |
| Vegetable, Egg, Starch, Pasta |
-- | CULI 1137 |
2.0 |
| Vegetarian Entrees, Pasta & Soup |
-- | CULI 1133 |
1.0 |
| Term 2 |
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| Course Name |
Outline |
Course Code |
Credits |
| Alcoholic Beverage Service |
-- | CULI 1242 |
2.0 |
| Appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres |
-- | CULI 1253 |
1.0 |
| Appetizers and Salads |
-- | CULI 1261 |
1.0 |
| Appetizers, Salads, Buffet Prep |
-- | CULI 1271 |
1.0 |
| Baking and Desserts 2 |
-- | CULI 1264 |
1.0 |
| Baking and Desserts 3 |
-- | CULI 1270 |
1.0 |
| Dining Room Service Procedures |
-- | CULI 1241 |
2.0 |
| Entrees and Sauces 1 |
-- | CULI 1263 |
1.0 |
| Entrees and Sauces 2 |
-- | CULI 1273 |
1.0 |
| Kitchen Management & Nutrition |
-- | CULI 1256 |
0.5 |
| Meat, Poultry, Seafood Entrees |
-- | CULI 1257 |
1.0 |
| Soups, Vegetables, Starches & Salads |
-- | CULI 1254 |
0.5 |
| Specialty Desserts |
-- | CULI 1255 |
1.0 |
| Vegetables, Starches & Soups 1 |
-- | CULI 1262 |
1.0 |
| Vegetables, Starches & Soups 2 |
-- | CULI 1272 |
1.0 |
