MTI Program Accredited by American Culinary Federation

The Manatee Technical Institute Baking & Pastry Arts program is now an American Culinary Federation accredited program. ACF Accreditation will allow qualified MTI graduates to become Certified Pastry Culinarians.

To qualify for certification, students must have a minimum of one-year industry experience and successful completion of the 600-hour career preparation program. ACF Certified Executive Pastry Chef, Mr. Dana Johnson, teaches the MTI program.

“It’s a tremendous distinction for our students to earn,” said Johnson. “This certification will really set our students apart; there aren’t a lot of people in the industry with this certification.”

The MTI Baking & Pastry Arts program underwent a rigorous approval process to be accredited. Reviewers from the Culinary Federation spent three days inspecting the program in action—assessment and teaching methods, facilities, resources available to students—and interviewing students, graduates and employers.

Johnson wrote the curriculum for the Baking & Pastry Arts program; the Florida Department of Education approved it in 2012. Fifteen students have completed the program since the program began. He anticipates that the six students completing this June will all earn the ACF certification.

The ACF certified MTI’s Culinary Arts program five years ago. While at MTI, the ACF renewed the Culinary Arts program accreditation for another five years.

Manatee Technical Institute is accredited by the Council for Occupational Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The majority of its 53 programs prepare graduates for either licensure or an industry-specific national certification.