Domestic Apply
Use this process to apply to Portage College if you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident (landed immigrant) or a protected person (refugee).
Note: This program is currently suspended and intends to be re-launched in 2026-27.
The Professional Cooking Certificate gives students the opportunity to complete the certificate program. The course is delivered face-to-face at our campus in St. Paul.
This program will introduce you to the kitchen, teaching you about vegetables, proteins, stocks, soups, sauces, and kitchen management. With a three-week practicum, you'll have the opportunity to learn in an actual work environment.
Professional Cooking combines theory, demonstration, and hands-on practical application, along with FoodSafe, First Aid, and WHIMS certification. After successful completion of the program, students can transfer into the Culinary Arts Diploma program.
Students will also have the opportunity to challenge the 1st and 2nd-period Apprenticeship exams for Cook.
Jada Anderson - Success Story
For twenty years Jada wanted to go back to school but always thought she was too old. After surviving an injury, she applied to the Professional Cooking Certificate program and continued onto the Culinary Arts Diploma. As a graduate, she receives the Red Spirit Knife.
Domestic Funding Options
Browse through funding options available to students at Portage College to see what may be available to you.
Domestic Information Request
If you would like to receive more information about this program please use the Info Request Form linked here.
Career Potential
Graduates of the Culinary Arts Diploma program are able to work in:
- Hotels
- Resorts
- Restaurants (from fast food to fine dining)
- Conference centres
- Hospitals
- Banquet halls and clubs
- Camp kitchens
- Nationwide specialty food outlets
Cooks can advance through promotions with the same employer or move to more advanced positions with other employers. Career options include chef, sous-chef, executive chef, banquet manager, food service administrator and coordinator, general manager and food editor. Yet another level of achievement includes Certified Chef de Cuisine (C.C.C.), a highly respected trade certification with many good prospects for travel within Canada and abroad. There are numerous career opportunities for certified cooks, including marketing, media, education, product development, consulting and owning their own business.
Credentials
Certificate
Admission Requirements
- English Language Arts 10-2
- Math 10-3
- Or a Passing grade in all five Canadian Adult Equivalency Credentials(CAEC) or General Educational Development(GED) exams
Students who do not meet admission requirements can contact student services regarding opportunities for placement testing. Students will need to submit an application to the program to start the process.
Use this chart to check Provincial high school equivalencies accepted at Portage College. Note: This is just a guide.
Other
- Interview with program coordinator may be required
- For the purpose of the practicum, may need a criminal record check
- Register as apprentices
English Language Proficiency Information
Program Start/End Dates
August 28, 2025 to May 22, 2026 (Fall, Winter and Spring Terms)
Application Deadline
Domestic: August 21, 2025
Location
St. Paul campus
TBD
Professional Cooking Certificate
We acknowledge that Portage College’s service region is on the traditional lands of First Nation Peoples, the owners of Treaty 6, 8 and 10, which are also homelands to the Métis people. We honour the history and culture of all people who first lived and gathered in these lands.