Frequently Asked Questions about the Association
How are country Presidents selected and checked for their qualifications, skills, and Knowledge?
Country Presidents are not selected by the qualifications or experience they have alone. In fact, you do not even need to be a Chef to qualify as a President. They are selected based on the merit of their work, the networks they operate in, references from people who know them and several other standard selection processes. WAMC is not about only giving high profile chefs opportunities to be presidents or leaders, but allowing anyone to be a leader if they meet our internal process.
WAMC does not discriminate based on qualifications as these often can be obtained without any real knowledge of the industry of job.
A number of our Presidents are new and this is because WAMC has predominantly been operating in China and parts of Australia for many years. we are growing and needing more Presidents and people to help. We allow anyone the opportunity to be a president if they meet our requirements.
How come very few people know about the association in many countries?
For a long time, the World Association of Master Chefs was run with only a handful of people (10 I think in total) and managed from China.
It is not a well-known association outside of Asia, however, this is now changing as we are expanding our offerings and developing opportunities. Thousands of Chefs worldwide would disagree with you about not knowing who we are however we do not encourage our members to wear dozens of medals or flaunt their achievements simply for notoriety which is why we may not be as well-known as other associations
WAMC has recently made a decision to make a real push into other parts of the world due to our partnership with a new Venture Capital Firm that will see us expand even further to offer more education, training, and employment opportunities.
How is the Executive Committee chosen?
If you go to https://wamc1950.com/history you will see that the name World Association of Master Chefs did not start in 1950 and we never have said it did.
The people who started it (not all were chefs either) worked hard to ensure the education and skills development opportunities were the key focus. WAMC works with industry to provide support to the industry through real opportunities for growth, not just competitions.
How is the Executive Committee chosen?
We do not have extensive committees or even a Board. We do not let the politics of senior meetings cloud our judgments in helping the industry. We work with the grass root level workers and allow them the opportunity to be part of the whole process.
Many Chefs are leaders in their fields in one form or another and some may not always measure up to what the overall “industry” assumes they should be for a position as president. For us, that’s OK as we want to help them grow and develop and we do not consider medals and qualifications as the only form of growth in a person.
How do we ensure the credibility of the Association members?
International Growth the way we are doing it is a new experience for everyone and may not always meet the industries expectations however we can say that we strive for the good of the industry, not our own gratification.
We appreciate comments and concerns as there are many associations and people who try to rob the industry of its credibility and we are always looking to avoid these. Yes, we do not always get it right but our process has worked well so far and we will continue to work hard to earn the respect across the world. This is why we rely on the good nature and respect that our Presidents provide.
Why do you use the term Master Chef and who is eligible for it?
The title or term of “Master Chef” is not owned by any one person or organisation. The title Master Chef is one aspect of our process. Sometimes a Chef may be awarded the MC status for things other than their cooking (such as charity work, community engagement, training) and this is a decision we do not take lightly. Through the WAMC you cannot do a course to receive the MC status as we feel and always have felt you should not be able to buy the title simply by doing a paid course no matter how much experience or qualifications you have.
WAMC is about more than qualifications and titles. It’s about the passion and determination to be the best Chef you cannot just in the kitchen.
Why are the criteria for a Master Chef Award so simple?
If fact the Nomination Process and the application process are two very different processes. The nomination process is very simple and simply a means of people letting us know there is someone who they feel may be worthy of the Master Chef Award. This is why the nomination process is relatively quick but the reference checks and research into a chef takes months.
WAMC does not award a Master Chef medal simply because you have a qualification or lots of awards. We look at the person as a whole, the work they do in the community, the effort they put in with other staff, the support they provide to the industry and the overall status of the person in the Hospitality industry.
Last year we had 798 applications and none of them were awarded MC status. The nomination is very simple as you can see online but the process takes up to 3 months just in research and reference checks of the nominated. We do not discriminate anyone from nominating someone as long as they have a minimum standard as indicated.
The Master Chef Award from the World Association of Master Chefs is a Privilege, not a Right.
Can Presidents of the Association give out Master Chef Medals?
No President is able to give out a Master Chef Award on their own. They can nominate a person just like you could but have no authority to bestow the award. We do not give this award out to whoever wants want. It is a lengthy process and one that we do not take lightly. All Country Presidents, however, are able to award Certificates to Chefs in their areas with approval from the senior executive or Regional Directors.
As of 2019, there will be several new Awards and Medals that Country Presidents are also available to be issued once approval is given.
All Presidents are invited to be part of a committee should we need one when there are awards to be issued or requested in a country. They also are invited to act as reference checkers when required also.
Can I be a member of your association and others?
Absolutely and we encourage members to join other associations to develop their own networks and opportunities if this is what they want to do. WAMC looks and functions differently than others associations as we focus on more than just the cooking and qualifications and if you are our member or someone else.
For WAMC we work with everyone and do not hinder them with restrictions on what association they can be a member of or who they can work with. We want them to grow and develop not hinder this.
Associations should not restrict a Chef form joining any other association if they truly want the industry to grow.
