Insider: When a Chef is a Culinarian; and Why We May Want That Designation

By Professor Marcel R. Escoffier, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Prof. Marcel R. Escoffier

In my article in the Hotel Business Review "When a Chef is a Culinarian; and Why We May Want That Designation", we have two themes intertwined to create one obvious outcome: it makes good business sense for the F+B Director to hire Chefs who are Culinarians.  One theme is the Chef as F+B spokesperson and “brand” for the hotel foodservice operation.  The other is the wide range of benefits that accrue to even the value-driven hotel foodservice operation in recognizing the American Culinary Federation designation of “Culinarian” as a hiring criteria. 

I have consistently stressed in my articles the importance of establishing a local presence for the hotel through its foodservice operation.  It has been my experience as a hotel manager that occupancy rates climb when the local community embraces the hotel as a community leader.  Word-of-mouth and other promotional techniques are a much more effective, and a lot less expensive, form of marketing than any other methodology.  Every marketing guru in the history of our industry new that management should embrace the local community and participate in the local community activities as much as possible.  Napoleon coined the phrase, “an army travels on its stomach.”  Well, members of a community judge their local hotels through their collective stomachs.   

But the designation, “Culinarian” has a more official meaning as well.  The American Culinary Federation, the official organization of professional Chefs, has a well constructed, rigorous set of certification requirements which begin with the certificate of “Culinarian” (Certified Culinarian or Certified Pastry Culinarian.)  There are ramifications to this certificate program that the F+B Director can use to ensure that the food production areas are staffed with knowledgeable and dedicated people.  The Federal Government even has a reward system in place for hiring culinarians: the Fair Labor Standards Act excludes professionals from the overtime provisions of the Act.   

This article is aimed at F+B operations at all levels of the lodging industry.  Even the humblest hotel, located in the most rural areas of our country should consider the “Culinarian” designation and what it means for the hotel in terms of the professionalism a person with that designation will express, the quality of the foodservice offered by the hotel, and the obvious benefits to the hotel’s bottom line. 

Sincerely,   

Marcel R. Escoffier

Professor

FIU School of Hospitality Management

escoffie@mediaone.net