Baker College’s Port Huron CIM granted culinary arts accreditation

The culinary arts associate degree program at Baker College’s Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM) in Port Huron has gained initial accreditation from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) for five years, through 2021.

“The level of work, study and perseverance required for ACF accreditation is phenomenal; this accreditation validates that the CIM staff and students possess the highest level of dedication and professionalism,” said Bart Daig, Ph.D., Baker College System president and CEO.

Chef Thomas F. Recinella, CEC®, ACE, AAC®, HGT, said, “We’re ecstatic about the five-year term of the accreditation. One- and three-year terms are more common for initial accreditation of new programs. This supports our efforts to provide the highest quality education to students, preparing them for successful careers.”

Recinella is program director and COURSES Restaurant executive chef at CIM Port Huron.

Program accreditation was conferred by the ACF Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEF) after a complex and thorough review of students, educators, curriculum and facilities. The process takes four months and includes a self-study evaluation, a site inspection by a team of ACFEF-trained evaluators, and interviews with students, faculty and advisory board members.

Evaluators considered all aspects of the program in detail; everything including equipment, knowledge of health and safety regulations, skill competency and student internships must meet strict ACF standards.

“In addition to validating the quality of the program, another benefit of ACF accreditation is that it provides the opportunity for students to obtain their ACF certification, something employers look for in new employees,” said Recinella.

Graduates of an ACFEF-accredited postsecondary culinary arts program who are members at the time of graduation are eligible to receive the Certified Culinarian (CC) or Certified Pastry Culinarian (CPC) certifications without paying fees or taking additional exams.

For more information about the Baker College culinary programs, contact Dan Kenny in the admissions office at daniel.kenny@baker.edu, 888.262.2442 or 810.985.7000, or visit www.baker.edu.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Founded in 1911, Baker College grants doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as certificates in diverse academic fields including business, health sciences, engineering, information technology, education and human services. Baker College has on-ground campuses in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and offers online programs that can be completed 100 percent online without ever visiting a campus. In 2016, the Online Learning Consortium recognized Baker College Online with the OLC Quality Scorecard Exemplary Endorsement, the highest ranking for online higher education programs. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.

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