MANY CHEFS UNCERTIFIED

(Crested Butte) Residents and visitors alike were shocked by news that many of the region’s chefs were not certified. The status, which could severely impair future culinary endeavors, is particularly acute in historically problematic ski towns say experts.

     This problem is often exacerbated by the need to staff seasonal kitchens. Although this position rarely affects food quality or creativity, it seriously limits food architecture. These structural implications amid the pressures of the accepted pecking order could breakdown positive barriers and leave food cold.

     The cost of certification is $350 per year (upgrades include Wyoming and Utah for an extra $50). The complete course can be digested by email and the final testing concluded in two hours on any number of Saturday morning sessions offered by the licensing agency. Interested parties are instructed to send the money before the end of the year to insure uninterrupted production. There is a slight discount for groups of over 300.

     “We’d like to see some of our younger chefs take advantage of the blanket amnesty and upgrade before deadlines imposed by cooking magazines and food purveyors,” said sources within the Colorado Health Department and the FBI.

     “We realize that there will always be chefs out there that want to buck the system but we firmly believe that without perimeters and guidelines the whole profession could turn into one big anarchy pie.

     They are always looking for good cooks in jail,” said the enforcing parties.

  – Wolfgang Putz