Culinary

The Mission of the St. Charles Community College Culinary Program is to equip students with the essential knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes necessary to succeed and advance into leadership roles within the food and hospitality industry. Our program emphasizes a balance of theoretical understanding and practical, hands-on experience to ensure that students are fully prepared to meet the demands of contemporary culinary, baking and pastry, and hospitality professions.

To participate successfully in the St. Charles Community College Culinary Program and complete degree, certificate, and non-credit programs, each student— with or without reasonable accommodations—must be able to perform the following essential functions:

1. Demonstrate the ability to perform key activities in the kitchen, externship, dining room, café, and classroom environments.
2. Attend and actively engage in all classes and training environments.This includes participation in production kitchen classes, instructional kitchen sessions, dining room, café, laboratory classes, and externships, each requiring a minimum commitment of seven consecutive hours per session, with potential for varying hours of the day.
3. Possess emotional stability, resilience, and appropriate behavioral and social skills for working individually and collaboratively in diverse environments.
4. Ensure the safety and well-being of others, both in the classroom and externship environments. Students must be capable of working safely in all settings, not posing any risk to others' safety, whether on campus or during externship and other college-sponsored activities.

Due to our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of culinary education, we employ a selective admission process designed to identify candidates with exceptional potential.  

Candidates are evaluated based on three key components:

1. Academic Achievement
   • Your academic record demonstrates your commitment to learning and ability to master theoretical concepts
   • We consider your overall grade point average (GPA) in your last educational institution (high school or college)
   • GPAs will be weighted on a sliding scale that considers unweighted cumulative GPA and if from a high school or a college.  A minimum GPA of 2.25 is required for admission. For a college GPA to be considered, the GPA needs to include a minimum of 12 credit hours
2. Professional Skills Assessment
   • We value practical experience and professional potential.
   • This assessment is 2 evaluations completed by past/current teachers or employers of your choice.
   • This assessment provides evidence of the professional skills valued in culinary arts
3. Chef Faculty Interview
   • This personal interaction allows us to understand your culinary aspirations and assess your fit for our program
   • This interview will assess your:
     • Communication skills and professional demeanor
     • Problem-solving abilities and creative thinking
     • Alignment with program values and objectives

Selection Process

1. All components are scored independently by our admissions committee
2. Weighted scores are calculated on the criteria above
3. Applicants are ranked according to their total score
4. Top-scoring candidates are offered admission based on available seats

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: Jun 16, 2025
• Professional Skills Assessment Due: June 16, 2025
• Faculty Interviews: By appointment
• Admission Decisions Released: June 30, 2025
• We will continue to accept applications after deadline for qualified applicants if all positions in the cohort are not filled

We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process that identifies students who will thrive in our rigorous culinary program and contribute to the rich tradition of culinary excellence.

The steps for admission:

1. Apply to St. Charles Community College (if they have not already done so): SCC Application
2. Complete the Culinary Application: SCC Culinary Application
   • In this application you will need to provide the name and email address for 2 professional references.  Once you have completed the application, a representative from SCC will send the professional reference to the individuals you indicated in your application.
   • You should let your references know to be expecting the reference as completion of the reference is a necessary part of your application.
3. Schedule the Chef Faculty Interview: You will only need to schedule a 30 minute interview with the Chef Faculty. Faculty Chef Interview Booking Page