Culinary Skills - Chef Training College Certificate

Are you an aspiring cook just beginning to explore the possibilities, interested in learning more about the business aspect of food service, or looking for a career change? Start at SLC to explore the diverse opportunities available in the culinary industry.

St. Lawrence College Culinary Programs offer method-based, hands-on, experiential, work-integrated learning.

Our programs are quality-based with approachable Chef instructors with diverse background experience in a collaborative real-world learning environment.

Build the foundation to succeed, gain, and advance your skills and acquire the confidence to work in an exciting, fast-changing professional culinary world.

A combination of both theoretical and applied practical courses in our curriculum is designed to expose students to all aspects of cuisines. Small class sizes facilitate the student’s personal development into a skilled and thoughtful cook.

The SLC Culinary Faculty are proud of our alumni success stories, and we continue to build and improve our programs to foster ready to succeed culinary graduates.

All culinary programs offer the flexibility to decide if a Culinary Skills Certificate (one-year program) or a Culinary Management Diploma (two-year program) is the right fit.

All culinary program's first and second-semester courses are the same, offering a seamless transition when deciding to transfer between a one-year and two-year culinary credential/program.

Essence Dining Room

First and second-year students embrace real-life learning by running the on-campus restaurant Essence Dining Room. First-year students create three-course lunches for college personnel and the general public in their second semester. The second-year culinary students create high-quality lunches and dinners in semesters three and four. Essence Dining Room motivates students learning and empowers confidence in a safe instructional environment. This “real-life, hands-on” kitchen environment depicts how life will be like once a graduate leaves St. Lawrence College and gains full-time employment within the culinary industry.

Culinary Skills Certificate Program = Level One Cook Apprenticeship Designation

Culinary Management Diploma Program = Level Two Cook Apprenticeship Designation

When culinary students have graduated from the program, they will have completed all of the theoretical requirements for the Cook Apprenticeship program in Ontario. The next step is to obtain as much experience as you can within the culinary industry by working in various culinary sectors. During this time, you can work towards obtaining the provincial designation of “Cook” by completing the practical portion of the Cook Apprenticeship program with your employer and challenge the red seal examination through the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.