Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts at Nashville State Earns American Culinary Federation Accreditation

The Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts at Nashville State Community College, located in the Southeast campus in Antioch, has received a four-year accreditation of its Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation.

Nashville State’s Culinary Arts program is one of four in the state to have earned this accreditation and the only one in Middle Tennessee.

The Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts offers several educational options such as federally and ACF registered apprenticeships, where students earn a paycheck in a professional kitchen while earning a degree or professional certification, a two-year associate degree in Culinary Arts, or professional technical certifications, which can be earned in 12 months.

“Students graduating the program will leave with the skills and confidence to succeed in a professional kitchen,” said Chef Paul Brennen, a World Association of Chefs Societies World Certified Master Chef and program director of the Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts. “Our culinary faculty have sharpened their knives in kitchens across the country and bring a wealth of experience to our state-of-the-art kitchen lab.”

The culinary industry is booming in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, with an abundance of opportunities to begin and grow in an exciting career.

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the largest professional chefs’ organization in North America, consisting of more than 14,000 members belonging to more than 170 chapters. ACF is the leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship, competitions, and programmatic accreditation designed to enhance professional growth for all current and future chefs and pastry chefs. ACF operates the most comprehensive culinary certification program in the world.