Restaurant 101: Research Chefs

August 7, 6:23 PMRestaurant ExaminerShelley Owens

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Restaurant Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Xiaofeng/flickr

---

Created by Research Chefs

• 21 top-rated burgers
• Consumer Reports Best Chain Restaurant Survey Finds Good Eats at Any Budget
• Best of Restaurants: Affordable Chain Restaurants
• Secret recipes from Devon Lantry, Chain Restaurant Examiner

The Research Chef, as a profession, started when experienced chefs' career ladders took them into menu development at chain restaurants and in the research and development kitchens at large food manufacturers such as Kraft Foods and similar organizations.

Doug Peckenpaugh, editor and associate publisher of Culinology Magazine, thinks the title ‘research chef’ probably became official around 1996 when a group of these chefs formed the Research Chefs Association, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Education

Peckenpaugh said test kitchen chefs work side by side with food technologists and other food scientists. Traditionally, the test kitchen scientist might go back to school for a culinary arts degree or certificate. Or the test kitchen chef would return for a food technology education. That is how the research chef concept was created.

But the Research Chefs Association (RCA) has developed a new discipline which they have given the trademarked name Culinology. This discipline combines culinary arts and food science/technology in the kitchen as well as in the classroom.

According to Peckenpaugh, a number of culinary arts schools have blended culinary and science programs including Cornell, Rutgers and California State.

And many have added the official RCA discipline to their curricula. A list of these schools, which continues to grow, and their contact information is available at the RCA website. (a partial list is also below.)

The RCA also provides professional development workshops as well as continuing education through a handful of schools in the U.S. and in Ontario.

Certification
The RCA also offers two certifications, Certified Research Chef (CRC) and Certified Culinary Scientist (CCS)

CRC: Chefs with a minimum of three years in research and development who meet other minimum education and experience requirement may sit for the Certified Research Chef exam and earn their CRC.

CCS: Food scientists who meet the minimum requirements for research and cooking experience may sit for the Certified Culinary Scientist exam and earn their CCS.

RCA-approved programs

Allan Hancock College / California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: BS Nutrition  Culinology® Concentration

Cal Poly Pomona / Orange Coast College: Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology, with a Track in Culinology®

California State University, Fresno: B.S. Degree in Food and Nutritional Sciences with an Option in Culinology

Clemson University: Bachelor of Science in Food Science with an Emphasis in Culinary Science/Culinology®

Dominican University / Kendall College: B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics

Rutgers University / Mercer County Community College: B.S. in Food Science, with an emphasis on Culinology

Bergen County Technical High School / Teterboro, New Jersey: Culinology/Food Science High School Program

Southwest Minnesota State University: Bachelor of Science in Culinology®

University of Nebraska-Lincoln / Metropolitan Community College: Bachelor of Science in Culinary Science/Culinology®

University of Cincinnati / Cincinnati State Technical and Community College: Bachelor of Applied Science in Culinary Arts and Science

University of Massachusetts – Amherst: Bachelor of Science in Food Science with a Concentration in Culinary Science