Elevate your skills and advance your cooking career while gaining work experience in VCC’s service outlets.
What you will learn
- Restaurant operations
- Dining and bar service
- Restaurant promotion
- Menu planning (table d’hôte)
- Nutrition
- Specialty soups and sauces
- Advanced vegetables and starches
- Traditional and ethnic cooking
- Vegetarian dishes
- Advanced baking, pastry, and breads
- Restaurant desserts
- Plating and presentation techniques
- Line cooking (a la carte)
- Appetizers
- Running the pass
- Advanced butchery
- Charcuterie
- Human resources principles
- Canadian labour laws
- Kitchen operation costs
- Entrepreneurship
- Purchasing and receiving
- Food costing and menu pricing
- Inventory and cost control
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Time management
What to expect
Program Duration and Maximum Time for Completion
The program is 16 weeks. Students have a maximum of three years to complete the credential.
- 16 weeks of full-time study
- Classes Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- A fully equipped commercial kitchen
- Work experience in VCC’s food service outlets
- Hands-on learning
- Classroom instruction
- Active participation
- Teamwork
- Critical thinking
- Self/peer assessments
- Exams
- Practical assessments
- Course assignments
- Portfolios
- Opportunity to take exams for ITA Level 2 certification
Admission requirements
Program-specific
- SkilledTradesBC Professional Cook 1 Certificate of Qualification
- Valid Food Safe Level 1 Certificate (certification must remain valid throughout the program)
- Valid Serving It Right Certificate (certification must remain valid throughout the program)
- Any grade 10 English course or equivalent or Department Head approval
- Any grade 10 Mathematics course or VCC’s Basic Arithmetic assessment with an 80% or equivalent or Department Head approval
Applicants must be able to physically handle; all seafood including but not limited to fish & shellfish, beef, lamb, pork, all types of poultry, all types of game, all dairy products, and all associated by-products required to meet the program outcomes. Any other known food allergies must be disclosed.
Applicants with a VCC Baking & Pastry Certificate or Baking & Pastry Red Seal Certificate may be exempt from CULI 2507 Advanced Baking.
General
- This program is available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. See program options for international students at VCC International.
- Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous are strongly encouraged to connect with VCC’s Indigenous Education and Community Engagement team to learn more about VCC’s Indigenous Enrolment policy, application preparation/completion, program advising, and a range of other individualized services.
- Applicants must be 16 years of age or older or a graduate of a secondary school. (Some exceptions may apply.)
- Applicants must submit official transcripts and other documents as required by their course or program. Seats are offered to eligible applicants with completed applications, in order of application completion date (except for programs with competitive admissions). A complete application includes an application form, evidence of educational pre-requisites (e.g. transcripts), any required supporting documents (e.g. language proficiency, audition video), and the required deposit or fee payment. If you do not meet the requirements for the term applied, your application may be cancelled.
Missing prerequisites? Learn more about VCC's tuition-free academic upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, or discover which university transfer options are right for you.
Recommended Characteristics
It is strongly recommended that applicants consider the daily tasks associated with working in a professional kitchen. These include the following essential requirements:
- Physical condition and stamina to meet the demands of the program, including good motor skills and coordination
- Ability to multi-task, work accurately and neatly, and manage time effectively
- Integrity, ability to take initiative and handle responsibility
- Ability to work independently, respectfully and in groups
- Ability to give close attention to detail for sustained periods of time
- Interpersonal & respectful communication skills
- Some creativity is an asset
- High standards of personal hygiene
Courses
*Program general hours
Courses are delivered 4 days per week over 16 weeks.
Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This program must be completed within three years.
Prior learning assessment and recognition
Prior learning assessment and recognition is not available for this program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CULI 2500 | Kitchen Management and Cost Controls | 3 |
| CULI 2503 | Restaurant Customer Service | 2 |
| CULI 2504 | Nutritional Menu Development | 1 |
| CULI 2505 | Advanced Cookery | 2 |
| CULI 2506 | Global & Vegetarian Cuisine | 2 |
| CULI 2507 | Advanced Baking | 5 |
| CULI 2513 | Restaurant Kitchen | 4.5 |
| Total Credits | 19.5 | |
* This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.
Fees and other costs
*Tuition Deposit: 0 (0 non-refundable).
Tution deposits are payable usually within two (2) weeks after a Letter of Offer is issued.
| Tuition Deposit |
0 (0 non-refundable) Tution deposits are payable usually within two (2) weeks after a Letter of Offer is issued. |
|---|
| Fee description | Fee Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | 36 | |
| Tuition Tuition | 1738 |
Tuition Breakdown
0 - 1
0 - 2
0 - 3
0 - 4
0 - 5
|
| Student union | 64 | |
| College initiative | 56 | |
| Materials | 0 | not including textbooks |
| Campus resource | 35 | |
| Laundry | 0 | |
| Tools (deposit) | 0 | |
| Coverall (deposit) | 0 | |
| Uniform (deposit) | 0 | |
| Medical and Dental | 0 | |
| Temporary Medical Insurance | 0 | |
| U-PASS | 177 | |
| Graduation | 45 | |
| Program-specific extra fees | 0 | |
| Total |
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* Fees are approximate and subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors. Students are required to pay any applicable fee increases. Application and assessment fees are non-refundable. Tuition fees include a $300 non-refundable deposit.
Fees listed are for domestic students. For international programs, visit VCC International.
Any refunds are issued according to VCC's refund policy.
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Note about locations:
- This program typically takes place at the VCC Downtown campus.
- Occasionally, courses may be scheduled at off-site locations. If you take a course that is scheduled at an off-site location (such as a high school), you may be required to submit a Criminal Record Check (CRC). You will be given instructions if you need to submit a CRC. Additional information can be found here.
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† B.C. Labour Market Outlook 2018