Professional Cook

The 28-week Professional Cook 1 program will give you an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills needed to work in a supervised culinary environment and will help you develop practical and essential skills related to the culinary industry. In this program, you learn about basic cooking and food preparation tasks utilizing knife skills, correct terminology, and a variety of cooking methods. Students learn to follow recipes, weigh and measure food accurately, and have an understanding of the major techniques and principles used in cooking, baking, and other aspects of food preparation. Practical instruction includes soups, sauces, meat and fish cookery, vegetables, pastry, cold kitchen, meat processing and breakfast cookery. Students are introduced to the preparation and service of luncheon banquets and a la carte menus in our authentic dining room, the Class Act Dining Room. Safe work habits are emphasized, reinforced and practiced throughout the program.

Program Overview

View admission requirements, program completion requirements and individual course information.

Note: The information for this program is currently set to display information for the 2026/27 academic year. To view other years, choose from the sort feature from the “select calendar” drop-down.

View the pdf version of the official program outline

See the SkilledTrades BC Cook 1 overview for more details.

In this program, you will learn about:

• Occupational Skills
• Stocks, Soups and Sauces
• Vegetables and Fruits
• Starches
• Meats
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Garde Manger
• Eggs, Breakfast Cookery and Dairy
• Baked Goods and Desserts
• Beverages

You will also take:

• Basic First Aid
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS)

*Students must complete Basic First Aid within the program or have a current Basic First Aid certificate valid to the end of the program.

When you successfully complete the program, you will receive these credits:

• Certificate of Qualification Professional Cook 1 (Institutional Entry) from the Industry Training Authority
• 600 work-based training hours
• College of the Rockies Certificate

For the 2026/27 academic year (2026/SU, 2026/FA, 2027/WI, 2027/SP)

_{*Tuition and Fees for domestic students are estimates and are subject to change. Depending on course electives there may be additional lab fees. Tuition and Fees do not include textbook costs or supplies. Tuition fees include student technology fees, student activity fees, and alumni fees. For more information, visit: Tuition and Fees.}

A bursary is available for this program, the Professional Cook Training Entrance Bursary which awards up to $750. Visit our Financial Aid and Awards page for more information!

Additional Student Costs for Personal Protective Equipment and Supplies:

• Cook’s uniform: 2 pants, 2 jackets, 2 aprons, 2 towels, a chef’s hat and closed toe leather shoes
• Knife kit (knife wrap, 10 inch chef knife, flexible 6 inch boning knife, paring knife, peeler and steel)

Costs may vary. Contact the Chef instructor for more information.

Note: Students are responsible for their own laundry and equipment.

Textbooks and Learning Resources:

• Depending on the level of training, textbooks will range in cost from $200 – $300. Check with the College Bookstore for exact costs.
• Access to a computer outside of normal class time will be necessary. A personal laptop or tablet is required. (Contact Chef Instructor for more information.)

As a Professional Cook, you can choose from a wide variety of job opportunities with:

• Restaurants, Cafes, and Diners
• Hotels and Resorts
• Hospitals and Health Care Facilities
• Cafeterias
• Cruise Ships
• Food Courts
• Food Trucks
• Festivals
• Arenas and Recreation Centres

With experience and Red Seal certification, you could even move into an executive chef or restaurant manager* position…or perhaps own your own restaurant one day!

Professional Cook Trainee for a Day

If you are interested in Professional Cooking as a career, but are not 100% sure that cooking is for you, then we would like to give you a glimpse into what it would be like through our, Student for a Day program. Join us for a free one-day trainee session.

What you can expect:

• You will be a part of our regular class.
• You will be given a full uniform to wear that day.
• You will shadow and assist a current Culinary Arts student in their daily routine and assignments that they have been given.

To become a Professional Cook Trainee for a day, you require a valid BC FoodSafe certificate. FoodSafe programs are available through our Continuing Education department.  Once you have obtained a FoodSafe certificate, or if you already have one, please contact a Recruitment Officer.

A Professional Cook Waiver Form must be filled out and signed before you may proceed. Once all is verified, you will meet with one of the instructors and set up the most convenient time for your first day as a Professional Cook Trainee.

We look forward to meeting you!

Challenging a Cook Credential:

If you have significant work experience in a trade but have never been certified in Canada, you may apply to challenge the certification. Practical Assessment dates listed under training Schedule.

Registration in this  “assessment only” session dose not include instruction and is not intended to replace the cook training course work or practical experience an individual  would get through post secondary study and appropriate industry experience. Pre-requisite: Candidates must first apply to, and have been approved by SkilledTrades BC.