Continuing Education

Professional development through continuing education is key to RCA's mission of supporting practitioners of Culinology® throughout their career.
RCA has developed an extensive program of continuing education workshops that cater to both the culinary professional and the food technologist. These workshops are offered year-round at several partnering educational institutions in the United States and Canada.

 

Culinology® Workshops for Chefs In-Company Workshops RCA’s Continuing Education Partners

 

Earn Contact Hours at the RCA Conference and Beyond

By attending the RCA Conference, you will be able to earn five contact hours towards your CRC and/or CCS certification renewal. Attendance at pre-conference programs held with the RCA Conference amount to additional contact hours beyond the five for conference itself.

If you are attending other conferences or conventions, you may be able to receive contact hours if the event meets the required criteria for certification renewal:

  1. Associated with a nationally recognized professional organization.
  2. Related in content or of relevance to Culinology® (i.e. the fields of food science, culinary arts, and product development).
  3. At least three days in length and offer educational sessions during a minimum of five hours in the three-day period.

Five certification renewal contact hours may be earned for such a conference. Acceptable documentation of conference attendance will be either an acknowledgement of registration for the conference or a copy of the individual’s conference badge. Contact hours earned through conference attendance can account for no more than one-half of the required certification renewal contact hours.

Download the certification renewal guidelines

Webinars

In an effort to provide members and the food R&D industry with relevant, fun and education offerings, the RCA has begun offering a series of webinars!

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming webinars!

  

Certification
RCA certifies qualified professionals as Certified Research Chefs and Certified Culinary Scientists, providing the food industry with today’s most valuable, sought after product developers who excel in the practice of Culinology® — the blending of culinary arts and food science.

In today’s complex food industry, companies are seeking employees who can offer that competitive edge through experience and proven competencies in both culinary arts and food science.

See More Info

Scholarships and
Opportunities
Valuing the importance of education, the Culinology Education Foundation strives to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships to assist qualified students and professionals pursuing higher learning and continuing education opportunities in Culinology, culinary arts and food science.

See More Info

 

Culinology®
Workshops for Chefs

RCA's Culinology® Workshops for Chefs are part of a unique three-part series aimed to broaden food product developers' knowledge of food technology as it relates to culinary principles. Professionals with this combination of skills and knowledge are needed to create the next generation of exciting, high-quality food products. The recommended primary study texts are Elementary Food Science by Ernest Vieira and Understanding Food Science and Technology by Peter Murano.

 

By integrating food science basics with an emphasis on related culinary principles, many students of this series find that they are well prepared for the RCA's Certified Research Chef (CRC) exam. Scholarships offered by the Research Chefs Foundation are available for both continuing education professionals and students of higher learning.

 

 

Workshop Descriptions

There are many exciting workshops available and this section is merely a highlight of a few opportunities being recognized by RCA.  Want to be featured on this list?  Email certification@culinology.org with the course information. 

Culinology® Workshop: Food Science Basics Presented by Golden Food Science

This class covers basic chemistry, the chemistry of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, food additives and food interactions. This class provides the basics for concepts that are applied in Food Processing Basics. We recommend that you take Food Science Basics first, but it is not required. (30 contact hours)

 

Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Apply an understanding of simple chemistry to the selection, use and functioning of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and water.
  • Identify important food sugars, starches and fibers, the chemical reactions they participate in, and their functional properties.
  • Identify important fats and oils, the chemical reactions they participate in, and their functional properties.
  • Describe the structure of food proteins and list their functional properties.
  • Identify and discuss the functional properties of common food additives, including acidulants, alkalis, buffers, colors, preservatives, antioxidants, and leavening agents.
  • Review basic information about Nutrition as it relates to food manufacturing.
  • List the requirements of the Nutrition, Labeling and Education Act and apply them to Nutrition Facts Panel.
  • Discuss the types of packaging and how they are used in industry.

 

Weekly Schedule
  • Orientation
  • Basic Chemistry
  • Nature of Matter and Water
  • Carbohydrates
  • Lipids
  • Protein
  • Food Additives
  • Nutrition
  • Nutrition Labeling and Educational Act
  • Packaging

Culinology® Workshop: Food Processing Basics Presented by Golden Food Science 

Apply food science basics to the manufacturing process. (30 contact hours)

 

 

Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Identify the fundamentals of food science behind culinary techniques including freezing, frying, dehydration, cook chill, sous-vide, roasting or baking (dry heat) and microwave cooking (moist heat)
  • Determine how to maximize quality and shelf life through retort operation, aseptic processing and modified atmosphere and controlled atmosphere packaging
  • Understand new food processing methods including irradiation, high pressure, ohmic and hot water submersion tunnels
  • Discuss the principles behind sensory science and apply to product development process

 

Weekly Schedule
  • Orientation
  • Commercialization         
  • Shelf Life Extension
  • Government Regulation
  • Biological, Chemical, and Physical Hazards
  • GMPs/HACCP
  • Heat Transfer and Canning/Retorting
  • Refrigeration/Freezing and Dehydration
  • Newer Processing Methods
  • Sensory

 

In-Company Workshops:
Culinary Arts for Food Techs

RCA has joined forces with The Culinary Institute of America to offer companies the opportunity for food technologists to learn in-company the same culinary arts and baking fundamentalsthat chefs use every day on the job. RCA partners will receive a 15% discount on any of the four RCA "Culinary and Baking Arts for Food Technologists" workshops or custom content taught in-company.

To find out more about having RCA "Culinary and Baking Arts for Food Technologists" workshops or custom content taught in-company, contact RCA Headquarters.

 

RCA’s Continuing
Education Partners

RCA is proud to partner with these leading educational institutions to offer continuing education workshops in Culinology in the United States and Canada.

The Culinary Institute of America (Greystone) St. Helena, CA

Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA

University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR

The RCA is offering new opportunities for accredited educational institutions to host RCA continuing education Culinology workshops. To find out more about developing an RCA continuing education workshop at your educational institution, contact RCA at info@culinology.org.