The Advanced Certificate of Catering and Professional Cookery is designed for aspiring chefs, caterers, and hospitality professionals who want to master the art of food preparation, menu planning, and event catering. This course goes beyond basic cooking skills, equipping you with the knowledge and expertise to handle large-scale catering, create specialised menus, and maintain the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. You’ll develop the ability to plan, cost, and execute professional catering operations while meeting diverse dietary requirements.
With a strong focus on practical skills, you’ll learn to prepare and present a variety of dishes, from appetisers to seafood and meat-based meals, using industry-standard techniques. This online catering and cooking course also covers key aspects of professional cookery, including kitchen operations, stock control, and coordinating large-scale food service. Whether you’re looking to run your own catering business or advance in a commercial kitchen, this program will give you the confidence and capability to succeed in a competitive industry.
This comprehensive program combines hands-on training with essential business skills, preparing you to manage everything from buffet services to outdoor catering events. You’ll gain insight into food production efficiency, cost control, and customer service—ensuring you’re ready to handle real-world challenges in professional cookery. If you’re serious about a career in catering and hospitality, this course will help you take the next step with practical expertise and industry knowledge.
Course Structure
Certificate of Catering
Unit 1 – Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety
- Follow organisational hygiene procedures
- Report unsafe practices that break hygiene procedures promptly
- Reporting breaches
- Unsafe practices that should be reported
- Identify food hazards that may affect health and safety of customers
- Contaminants
- The seven HACCP principles
- Remove or minimise the hygiene hazard
- Report food hazards
- Preventing and minimising hazards
- End of shift cleaning
- Removing hazards
- Personal health issues likely to cause a hygiene risk
- Reporting incidents of food contamination
- Food handling activities
- Maintain clean clothes
- Use required PPE including bandages and dressings
- Preventing contamination
- Ready to eat food
- Using no-touch techniques
- Food contact surfaces
- Unhygienic personal contact with food and food contact surfaces
- Cleaning and sanitising
- Cleaning processes
- Cleaning and sanitising plans and schedules
- Cleaning food preparation and storage areas
- Handwashing techniques
Unit 2 – Produce and Serve Food for Buffets
- Confirm food production requirements
- Buffet dining
- Dishes commonly served in a buffet
- Production requirements
- Standard recipes
- Calculating food quantity
- How much food to serve
- Varieties of dishes
- Selecting ingredients
- Source ingredients and suppliers
- Considerations when selecting ingredients
- Freshness of ingredients
- Target audience
- The budget
- Stock rotation strategies
- Storing perishables
- Mise en place
- Food preparation
- Preparing meats, poultry and seafood
- Cookery methods
- Blanching, boiling and frying
- Grilling, poaching and roasting
- Steaming and stewing
- Poultry and game meats
- Seafood and fish
- Other buffet foods
- Sauces and garnishes
- Centrepieces and decorations
- Layout planning and display
- Buffet display plans
- Display hygiene
- Hygiene and food preparation practices
- Serving food in buffet service
- Meats suitable to buffet service
- Carving meats and equipment
- Policies and procedures
- Food safety procedures for buffet service
Unit 3 – Prepare Food to Meet Special Dietary Requirements
- Confirm dietary requirements for customer
- Catering for organisation and customers
- Principles and practices of nutrition
- Food choices and their significance
- Australian dietary guidelines
- Special dietary requirements
- Dietary requirements for medical needs
- Cultural and religious dietary requirements
- Halal diets
- Confirming dietary requirements
- Health consequences
- Food intolerances and allergies
- Reputational consequences
- Legal consequences
- Accessing special dietary recipes
- Selecting special ingredients
- Ingredients that can cause health consequences
- Common food allergies and intolerances
- Food additives
- Food labelling requirements and interpretation
- Standard recipes
- Excluding ingredients from dishes
- Preventing cross contamination
- Dishes for customers with special dietary requirements
- Following recipes
- Substituting ingredients
- Specific dietary requirements
- Communicating information to customers
- Selecting fresh ingredients
- Preparation techniques
- Cooking equipment
- Cooking techniques
- Kitchen equipment
- Modified dishes
- Presenting plated food
- Garnishing
- Sensory assessment of food
- Visual evaluation of dish
- Environmental conditions for food storage
- Waster reduction
- Cleaning food preparation areas
- Cleaning equipment
- Disposing of surplus ingredients
- Storing supplies
Unit 4 – Plan and Cost Recipes
- Customer profiles, needs and expectations
- Target markets
- Customer preferences and needs
- Stage of life segmentation
- Collecting information and analysing the marking
- Food preferences
- Changing tastes and preferences
- Generate range of ideas for dishes
- Menu types
- Menu design
- Types of customers
- Service style and cuisine
- Customer preferences
- Menu structure
- Balanced variety
- Standard recipes
- Portion control
- Calculating the sales price (budget)
- Calculating yield and costs
- Recipe percentages
- Converting recipes
- Yield percentage
- Procedure for testing yields
- Calculating portion yields and costs
- Cost-effectiveness
- High yield ingredients
- Setting prices
- Writing dish descriptions
- Cuisine styles
- International cuisine
- Modern Australian cuisine
- Culinary terms
- Feedback to determine saleability of dishes
- Popularity index
- Adjusting recipes based on feedback
Unit 5 – Plan Cooking Operations
- Determine food production requirements
- Menu items
- Portion control
- Customer requirements
- Special requirements
- Food production processes
- Production methods
- Food nutrition and health standards
- Preserving food structure
- Food production systems
- Standard menu recipe cards
- Selecting and collating standard recipes
- Food production personnel
- Mise en place and work flow planning
- Create mise en place lists for food production
- Prep lists and workstations
- Service cycles
- Calculating commodities and food volume requirements
- Stock control systems
- Order quantity
- Purchase orders
- Ordering systems
- Procedures for receiving stock
- Equipment lists
- Food safety requirements
- Teamwork and communication
- Allocation and delegation
- Work flow plans and sequences
- Kitchen workplaces
- Food production process
- Food service styles
- Dietary requirements and special requests
Unit 6 – Plan Catering for Events or Functions
- Purpose of event or function
- Stakeholder involvement and consultation
- Types of events
- Communication
- Roles and responsibilities
- Maintenance staff and external event staff
- Officials and attendees
- Identify specific customer needs and preferences
- Building rapport with client
- Basic catering delivery requirements
- Menu types and requirements
- Beverage requirements
- Style of service – timing of event
- Cultural food and special diets
- Event planning portfolio
- Document information
- Determine catering requirements
- Prepare catering proposal
- Catering proposal example
- Operational information (practical details of event)
- Influence of operational information
- Determine overall approach
- Personal roles and responsibilities
- Kitchen team and front of house team
- Link food services
- Event concept and theme
- Event format
- Contribution of ideas
- Creative elements
- Operational practicality of catering proposal
- Accuracy of information
- Present proposal
- Obtain approval from client
- Importance of obtaining approval
- Operational plans and template
- Gantt chart for schedule of tasks
- Checklist of tasks to be completed
- Process-flow diagram
- Operational steps and activities
- Sequence activities and steps
- Risk management
- Food safety
- Identify risks for the operational plan
- Manage risk and controls
- Contingency plans
- Review, verify and finalise details with client
- Benefits of accuracy
- Share with relevant personnel
- Implement catering plan
- Adjustments to plan
- Feedback after event
Unit 7 – Provide Outdoor Catering
- Nutritionally-balanced menus
- Planning meal times
- Special dietary requirements
- Vegan, vegetarian and kosher and halal meals
- Diabetic clients
- Lactose intolerant
- Coeliac disease
- Special requests
- Food safety hazards
- CCP decision tree
- Storage equipment
- Storing food and beverages safely and hygienically
- Monitoring food quality
- Food preparation equipment
- Treating water
- Safe and hygienic food preparation techniques
- Cooking methods
- Safe hygiene practices
- Cleaning and dismantling equipment
- Removing rubbish
Certificate of Professional Cookery
Unit 1 – Food preparation equipment
- Confirming preparation requirements
- Ingredients
- Work flow
- Food safety practices
- Identifying and selecting knives
- Specialised equipment
- Assembly techniques
- Precision cuts
- Cleaning agents
- Selecting and using chemicals
- Reducing waste
- Identifying unsafe equipment
- Records of inspections
Unit 2 – Prepare and present simple dishes
- Preparation requirements
- 2-4 hour guide
- Suppliers
- Food preparation
- Equipment
- Cookery methods
- Re-heating food
- Preparation times
- Portion control
- Modifications
- Presenting food
- Presentation of packaged food
- FIFO
- Kitchen cleaning
Unit 3 – Basic methods of cookery
- Confirming production requirements
- Work flow plans/task lists
- Calculating amount of ingredients
- Checking for spoilage
- Hygiene
- Weighing and measuring
- Selecting cookery methods
- Food classifications
- Recipe percentages
- Presentation of plated food
- Garnishes
Unit 4 – Appetisers and salads
- Production requirements
- Selecting ingredients
- Contaminants
- Select, prepare and use equipment
- Sorting ingredients
- Cleaning and cutting ingredients
- Salads
- Herbs
- Meat, fish and seafood
- Cookery methods
- Presenting dishes
Unit 5 – Stocks, sauces and soups
- Select ingredients
- Food production requirements
- Stocks and sauces
- Select, prepare and use equipment
- Portion and prepare ingredients
- Prepare stocks, sauces and soups
- Thickening agents
- Convenience products
- Food quality adjustments
- Present and store soups, sauces and stocks
- Adjust presentation
- Environmental conditions
Unit 6 – Vegetable, fruit, egg and farinaceous dishes
- Food production requirements
- Select ingredients
- Vegetable, fruit and egg
- Farinaceous dishes
- Select, prepare and use equipment
- Select equipment
- Portion and prepare ingredients
- Cook vegetable, fruit, egg and farinaceous dishes
- Food quality adjustments
- Present and store dishes
- Adjust presentation
- Environmental conditions
Unit 7 – Use cookery skills
- Prepare for food service
- Calculate quantities
- Mise en place
- Recipe information
- Job checklist
- Menu requirements
- Work schedule
- Work flow plan diagram
- Food organisation
- Style of service
- Cook menu items
- Commercial equipment
- Cook menu items
- Team cooperation
- Menu requirements
- Safety and hygiene procedures
- End of shift requirements
Unit 8 – Seafood dishes
- Select ingredients
- Food production requirements
- Seafood products
- Select, prepare and use equipment
- Portion and prepare ingredients
- Seafood preparation
- Cookery methods
- Cook fish and shellfish
- Food quality adjustments
- Present fish and shellfish
- Adjust presentation
- Environmental conditions
Unit 9 – Meat dishes
- Food production requirements
- Selecting meat products
- Select, prepare and use equipment
- Knife safety
- Portion and prepare ingredients
- Meat cookery methods
- Cook meat dishes
- Food quality adjustments
- Present meat dishes
- Sauces and garnishes
- Adjust presentation
- Environmental conditions
Unit 10 – Special dietary requirements
- Clarify dietary requirements
- Select ingredients
- Cultural food requirements
- Health conditions of client
- Vegetarian / vegan requirements
- Health consequences
- Medical requirements
- Food allergies
- Ingredients that may cause allergic reactions
- Food additives
- Satisfy nutritional and special dietary requirements
- Special recipes
- Modifying recipes
- Fresh foods
- Optimum nutritional quality of dishes
- Children
- Aged clients
- Suppliers
- Cooking techniques
- Food presentation
Unit 11 – Work effectively as a cook
- Food service / production
- Calculate quantities
- Quality and style
- Preparation
- Calculate commodities
- Recipe information
- Job checklist
- Workflow plan diagram
- Safe work practices
- Job roles / responsibilities list
- Food production and service requirements
- Select equipment
- Cook menu items
- Use appropriate cookery methods
- Special requests
- Quality, presentation and timeliness
- Delegate tasks
- Menu requirements
- Workplace safety
- Hygiene procedures
- Legislative requirements
- End of shift procedures
Unit 12 – Coordinate cooking operations
- Food production requirements
- Menu items
- Cost
- Tools and equipment
- Deadlines
- Food quantities
- Portion control
- Customer requirements
- Food production processes
- Food nutrition
- Health standards
- Methods of cookery
- Food production requirements
- Types of cuisine
- Selecting recipes
- Standard yield / portion
- Menu recipe cards
- Food production personnel
- Work flow planning / schedule
- Mise en place
- Food preparation lists
- Calculate required food supplies
- Calculate commodities and food volume
- Stock records
- Food cost formula
- Variance and usage
- Stock control systems
- Check stores for availability and quantity
- Build-to amounts
- Depleted inventory
- Purchase additional stock
- Ordering systems
- Suppliers and vendors
- Quality selection process
- Kitchen operations
- Supervise food production
- Risk factors
- Hygiene and cleanliness
- Food flow
- Cooking and heating food
- Cooling and freezing
- Hazards
- Record keeping
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Team work and communication
- Work flow
- Workplace design
- Production sequence of food
- Kitchen sections
- Section production work lists
- Kitchen output quality
- Monitor food quality
- Quality control
- Food preparation
- Cooling and heating processes
- Safe food preparation
- Correct food preparation
- Consistent quality of food
- PDCA Cycle
- Organisational standards
- Timeliness
- Systems and procedures
- Using knives safely
- Final food checks
- Taste testing
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Standards and processing
- Food storage
- Cross-contamination
- Labelling and containers
- Stock rotation
- Food contamination
- Safety and hygiene
Study Hours
Estimated duration 190
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment
Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. No practical cooking demonstrations are required for assessment and there are no examinations in this course.
Testimonials
I found my experience to be very positive. This is my first experience with online learning platforms and I found it easy and straightforward to navigate the software. Tutors were prompt and helpful.
K. Silvester, Thornton VIC | Certificate Commercial Cooking Operations
The course content covered all aspects in kitchen operations. Enjoyed the online platform
M. Milimu, Parramatta, NSW | Certificate of Commercial Cooking Operations
Wow, what a relief. Course competed! I feel I have acquired and improved my skills and this course has inspired me to experiment with new ingredients and recipes. My confidence in cooking has grown throughout the course along with a better understanding of food safety practices. Thank you Australian Online Courses.
Maria | Cranbourne, VIC | Certificate of Professional Cookery
I have really enjoyed this course. It was very informative and I could work at my own pace. All the questions were understandable and relevant to this course. I have gained a lot of knowledge and am excited to further my career in cooking which I am passionate about.
Thank you for an informative course and helping me further my education.
S. Mihelakos, Clayton, VIC | Certificate of Commercial Cooking Operations
About Us
Graduation
A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.
How to Enrol
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Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support via email;
- We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
Are there any entry requirements or pre-requisites?
There are no course or subject pre-requisites for entry into our programs. However, our professional development programs are generally intended for people over the age of 18. In some circumstances, enrolments from younger people may be considered. Please complete the AOC Parent Guardian Consent Form prior to enrolling and submit here.
Are there any computer requirements?
To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
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How is this course delivered?
This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
