Certified Master Chef

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There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world

Schoolcraft College is on its way to having two members of its faculty become Certified Master Chefs® (CMC) as both Chef Paul Grosz and Chef Drew Sayes advanced out of Segment 1 of the recent American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) CMC exams.  

The exams were held March 18-21 in the American Harvest restaurant in the VisTaTech Center on the main campus of Schoolcraft College. Segment 2 will be held later this year.

Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes
Chef Paul Grosz (left) and Chef Drew Sayes are each full-time instructors.

A CMC is considered the highest level of the profession, and demonstrates mastery of culinary competence and expertise through education, experience, knowledge and skills consistent with the master chef level. The exam was first commissioned and offered in 1981.

There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world, with Brian Beland, Schoolcraft College’s Department Chair of Culinary Arts, among those to hold this distinguished ranking. In addition, faculty member Joseph Decker is a Certified Master Pastry Chef® (CMPC).

Chef Grosz serves as full-time instructor and currently teaches classes associated with the American Harvest lunch service. He is co-proprietor and Chef of Cuisine Restaurant. Chef Sayes, a 2003 Oakland Community College graduate, has been a full-time instructor since January.

“We are extremely happy for the excellent results by Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes in Segment 1 of the CMC exams,” Chef Beland said. “We wish them the very best on Segment 2 and have every confidence they will do well.”

To apply for the exam, candidates must already be a Certified Executive Chef or Certified Culinary Educator, provide a letter of recommendation from current CMCs or CMPCs, and have completed education courses on sanitation and food safety, management, cost management and wine.

Chef Drew Sayes goes through one of the four modules in the Certified Master Chefs exam.

The exam modules included:

  • Freestyle Cuisine
  • Healthy Cooking
  • Global Cuisines
  • Pastry and Baking

Both Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes shared feelings of relief after the grueling exam wrapped up.

“When (it was over), I felt a bit of relieve and accomplishment, but only for a short time knowing that Segment 2 is not far behind,” Chef Grosz said. “The work is not done. We’ll take a short break, then start practicing for an excruciating next part of the exam.”

Chef Sayes echoed those thoughts.

“When the exam concluded, I was relieved and exhausted,” he said. “I was also slightly disappointed that it ended. I was gaining a lot of momentum and confidence going through each discipline; I wanted to continue and carry that into the next segment.”

Chef Grosz
In addition to teaching, Chef Paul Grosz is co-proprietor and Chef of Cuisine Restaurant.

Despite the intense pressure, each Chef felt the exam went well.

“It was the most intense experience I’ve had in my career,” Chef Sayes said. “It was challenging to adjust my mindset each day and mentally preparing for the next discipline. Lack of sleep caused by constantly thinking about what’s next also made it difficult to focus on the task at hand. Through all of that, it was a great experience and I ended up having a lot of fun throughout the process.”

Added Chef Grosz: “I feel the CMC exam went very well. What I enjoyed mostly out of it was the adrenaline during the cooking time period while we were being judged on every move we made. Cooking at the highest level in a time limited situation while experts in the field were scrutinizing everything you did was very nerve-wracking.”

Each is looking forward to the next phase of the exam.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Chef Sayes said. “Luckily, I’m able to take the summer and prepare.  I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”

Chef Grosz also emphasized how learning never stops, taking the American Master Chefs’ Order’s motto of “Forever the Student” to heart.

“This has been 30 years in the making for myself because as a chef we continue to always learn,” he said. “Taking this exam has made me a better person, a better chef and ultimately a better instructor. I just want to thank everyone for all their support as we continue this journey. My family, Schoolcraft, my fellow instructors and the staff at Cuisine. Without their support, this would not be possible.” 

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

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Changes will prepare students for rapidly changing industry

The restaurant business has changed rapidly in a short time. Schoolcraft College is preparing its Culinary Arts students for the ever-evolving realities of this complex industry by updating several areas of the curriculum. The new curriculum has launched and will be available in the fall of 2022.

“With the help of industry experts who provide valuable feedback, data from graduate and employer surveys, plus input from other valued sources within Schoolcraft College and beyond, we’ve adjusted our curriculum and programming to better train our students to become valued employees and leaders in the restaurant industry,” said Brian Beland, Certified Master Chef (CMC*) and Department Chair of Culinary Arts.

The goal is to raise competency levels for the students and improve skill sets in several key areas in cooking and operations.

Christopher C. Misiak, CCE**, CEC***, Program Coordinator for Culinary Arts, and 2016 National ACF Chef Instructor of the Year, was instrumental in helping develop the new curriculum. “A culinary curriculum must stay in tune with the industry standards and trends,” he said. “After a lengthy process of analysis, we were able to identify six additional program outcomes that needed to be addressed in the new curriculum.”

These newly identified outcome were:

  • Apply nutritional concepts to menus
  • Increased focus and repetition on fundamental cooking principles
  • Perform advanced butchery skills
  • Understand restaurant financial controls
  • Incorporation of alcohol service and accountability
  • Improve time-management skills

“These new outcomes were directly involved in the development of the new classes,” Chef Misiak said. “From them we created two new foundation cooking classes in the first year; a new nutritional class was created that included an emphasis on lab production; wine and spirits, once an elective choice, is now in the core program; and we expanded our restaurant classes hours to promote a better learning environment for the student.”

To reflect the updated curriculum, the program will be called Professional Culinary Arts and offer the following credentials.

  • Professional Culinary Arts Skills Certificate – 21 credits
  • Professional Culinary Arts Certificate – 43 credits
  • Professional Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree – 60-66 credits

The program is stackable to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary and Dietary Operations and is certified by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF).

Photo 1
Photo 2
Caption 1: Schoolcraft College’s program will now be known as Professional Culinary Arts.
Caption 2: Aspiring chefs will see greater emphasis on nutritional concepts as well as fundamental principles and skills.

A closer look at what’s new

Students in the Certificate and AAS tracks will especially benefit from the impact of the updated and new courses.  “These courses are especially key to teaching new competencies required by the industry,” Chef Beland said. “In some cases, we were able to streamline. With CUL 125, for example, we included material previously covered in the advanced pastry class. Further, we built both CUL 210 and CUL 245 to support the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation requirements and industry expectations.”

New courses include:

  • CUL 125 – Foundations of Classical and Contemporary Pastry
  • CUL 130 – Foundations of Cooking A (Dry Heat Cookery)
  • CUL 135 – Foundations of Cooking B (Moist Heat Cookery)
  • CUL 210 – Wine and Spirits
  • CUL 245 – Foundations in Healthy Cooking

High school students can get an early start

Schoolcraft College has articulation (transfer) agreements with several area school districts that can allow high school students to complete their prerequisites. These districts are:

  • Livonia Public Schools
  • Oakland County Public School District
  • Plymouth-Canton Public Schools
  • Saline Public Schools

Agreements in place with those districts allow students to receive credit for CUL 102 (Culinary Sanitation) and CUL 103 (Introduction to Professional Cooking Skills and Techniques) before entering Schoolcraft College.

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

*     CMC – stands for Certified Master Chef (CMC) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

**   CCE – stands for Certified Culinary Educator® (CCE®) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

*** CEC – stands for Certified Executive Chef® (CCE®) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

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There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world

Schoolcraft College will be the site of Segment 1 of the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Certified Master Chef® (CMC) exams starting Friday, March 18, through Monday, March 21, in the American Harvest restaurant in the VisTaTech Center.

A CMC is considered the highest level of the profession, and demonstrates mastery of culinary competence and expertise through education, experience, knowledge and skills consistent with the master chef level.

“Schoolcraft College was selected as an approved Certified Master Chef testing site by the American Culinary Federation,” said Jonathan Moosmiller, CMC and American Master Chefs Order (AMCO) President. “The criteria included excellence in educational programming and strong leadership. The Certified Master Chefs program has worked with Schoolcraft College for many years, assisting in providing CMC chefs as Schoolcraft Instructors. The American Master Chefs Order is proud to continue this partnership with Schoolcraft College and the American Culinary Federation.”

There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world, with Brian Beland, Schoolcraft College’s Department Chair of Culinary Arts, among those to hold this distinguished ranking. In addition, faculty member Joseph Decker has attained the ranking of Certified Master Pastry Chef® (CMPC).

“We are honored to welcome this group of exceptional chefs to Schoolcraft as they look to demonstrate, and validate, their mastery of cuisine in their pursuit of earning the Certified Master Chef designation,” Chef Beland said. “Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts students have benefited from the world-class kitchens and instructional environment for many years, and we are excited to share what we have the privilege to experience daily with them. 

“Hosting the CMC exam is a great opportunity for the students in the program as well. The students are able to experience highest level of practical culinary certification first hand by supporting the exam candidates and evaluators as kitchen apprentices and hospitality support services. This gives the students personal interaction opportunities and experience in ‘the arena’ feeling the pressure and seeing the intense focus.”

The facilities in American Harvest include:

  • 70-seat full-service restaurant
  • 5 fully outfitted kitchen labs dedicated to the various skill competencies of the craft
  • Collaboration with Schoolcraft Brewing and Distillation program
  • Retail Café Market space
  • Construction of a new Demonstration and Innovation Center recently approved with construction scheduled to begin later this year
three master chefs
Brian Beland (center), Schoolcraft College’s Department Chair of Culinary Arts; is shown with Shawn J. Loving (right), who previously held that role; and Michael Russell. Each is a Certified Master Chef.

To apply for the exam, candidates must already be a Certified Executive Chef or Certified Culinary Educator, provide a letter of recommendation from current CMCs or CMPCs, and have completed education courses on sanitation and food safety, management, cost management and wine.

The exam schedule begins on Friday, March 18, with Freestyle Cuisine. Healthy Cooking follows on Saturday, March 19, then Global Cuisines on Sunday, March 20. Pastries and Baking concludes the exam on Monday, March 21.

Schoolcraft College’s Proud Heritage of Culinary Arts

Herman Breithaupt is credited with establishing Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program in 1966, with his son, Robert Breithaupt, directing the department later that year.

“We began the first year with 16 students,” Robert said. “After that we had a list of students waiting to get into the program, and it has continued that way to the present day.”*

Schoolcraft College is continuing to prepare its Culinary Arts students for the ever-evolving realities of the complex restaurant industry by updating several areas of the curriculum.

“With the help of industry experts who provided valuable feedback, data from surveys from students and employers, plus input from other valued sources within Schoolcraft College and beyond, we’ve adjusted our curriculum and programming to better train our students to become valued employees and leaders in the restaurant industry,” Chef Beland said.

The goal is to raise competency and improve skill sets in several key areas in cooking and operations, including:

  • Apply nutritional concepts to menus
  • Demonstrate fundamental cooking principles
  • Perform advanced butchery skills
  • Understand restaurant financial controls
  • Incorporation of alcohol service and accountability
  • Improve time management skills
  • Increased focus on baking/pastry

To reflect the updated curriculum, the program will be called Professional Culinary Arts and offer the following:

  • Professional Culinary Arts Skills Certificate – 21 credits
  • Professional Culinary Arts Certificate – 43 credits
  • Professional Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree – 60-66 credits

The program is stackable to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary and Dietary Operations and is certified by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF).

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

*From Page 68 of “Reaching Out … A History of Schoolcraft College” by Samuel Hudson.