A CHEF’S JOURNEY TO BECOMING

ACF-CERTIFIED

Kurt Walker, CEC®, CEPC®, CCE®, CCA®, is one of those lucky individuals who knew the career path he wanted to pursue early in life. Working in restaurants throughout high school, Walker began his culinary journey as a teen and enrolled in culinary school on graduation. He credits his exceptional instructors with his desire to become ACF- certified. They stressed the importance of education and the ACF certification process.

After graduating from culinary school in 1992, he began working his way around the food industry in freestanding restaurants, corporate restaurants, catering companies, hotels, convention centers and theme parks. With more than 25 years of experience in the food industry, Walker capitalized on his vast experience and opened his own restaurant group. For 15 years, he owned several concepts simultaneously, including multiple quick-service restaurants, a full-service restaurant, a bakery and a catering company. Although he was pursuing his dream, the hustle and bustle of being a restaurant owner made it difficult for him to achieve his dream of ACF certification. In 2010, Walker became an instructor at a culinary school where several of the chef- instructors were involved in their local ACF chapters. Inspired by their commitment to ACF, he began his journey toward being an ACF-certified chef. He received his first certification in 2011 and was motivated to apply all his efforts in earning additional certifications. “This type of professional recognition by peers in the industry validates not only your experience, but it allows for the professional pride that we as chefs should have,” he says.

Since the start of Walker’s certification journey, he has obtained four ACF certifications: Certified Executive Chef ® (CEC® ), Certified Executive Pastry Chef ® (CEPC®), Certified Culinary Educator® (CCE®) and Certified Culinary Administrator® (CCA®). He also volunteers as an Approved Certification Evaluator (ACE), helping other chefs in their pursuit of certification. Today, Walker is executive sous chef at NBC/Universal, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, Calif. He proudly admits that in his time at Universal, he has encouraged eleven fellow chefs to join ACF and obtain certification at various levels. In addition to his day job, he also serves as an adjunct chef-instructor at The Art Institute of California—Hollywood, North Hollywood, Calif., and Chaffey College, Chino, Calif. “Teaching and mentoring others provides me with the opportunity to look deeper into the history of cooking, as well as the methods and ingredients that allow me to hone my skills and perfect my craft,” Walker says.

““It keeps me sharp and makes me appreciate all there is to learn.”

Opposite: Kurt Walker, CEC®, CEPC®, CCE®, CCA®, at the VIP Experience, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, Calif.