TCA Professional

Description: A TCA Professional shall be a person with at least three (3) years of full-time employment in the culinary profession with the designation of a cook, station chef, baker, sous chef, chef de cuisine, working chef, chef educator, pastry chef, executive or any other correlating job title that designates full time active cooking, consulting or education.

• TCA Professional Culinarian members may hold any TCA local chapter elected or appointed chair
• TCA Professional Culinarian members have full voting rights on the TCA state and local levels

TCA Culinarian

Description: A culinary professional with a minimum of 6 months to 3 years of full time employment who is pursuing on-the-job training and building a resume to take on more responsibility.  Job titles should closely relate to cook, station chef, baker or any other correlating job title that designates full time active cooking at this level.

• TCA Culinarian members may hold any TCA local chapter elected or appointed chair
• TCA Culinarian members have full voting rights on the TCA state and local levels
• TCA Culinarian membership shall be subject to a lifetime limit of five years

TCA Student

Description: A Student Culinarian shall be a person that is involved in the culinary profession and have fewer than two years work experience at the time of joining.  A Student Culinarian shall be a student enrolled in a post-secondary culinary education program, or a registered ACF apprentice as defined by the ACF bylaws and ACFEF apprenticeship training program.  This level is restricted to culinary students with less than two (2) years of full time industry employment.  Students at the following schools are eligible to pay the discounted student rate: El Centro, Art Institute of Dallas, Del Mar College, Grayson College, South Texas College, Texas State Technical College, Tarrant County College, Dallas College

• TCA Student Culinarian members cannot hold a state or local elected office but may hold a state or local appointed chair
• TCA Student Culinarian members receive 1/3 voting rights
• TCA Student Culinarian memberships are not available to persons who have previously been a TCA Culinarian or Professional
• TCA Student Culinarian membership shall be subject to a lifetime limit of four years

TCA Junior

Description: A Junior Culinarian shall be a high school student between 16 and 18 years of age.

• TCA Junior members may not hold any TCA local chapter elected or appointed chair
• TCA Junior membership has no voting rights

TCA Allied

Description: An Allied member shall be a person employed in a field related to the culinary profession (such as dietetics, home economist, food stylist, etc.) who does not qualify at any level of professional membership of the TCA.

• TCA Allied members cannot hold an elected state or local office but may hold a state or local appointed chair
• TCA Allied members do not have voting rights

TCA Associate

Description: Any group, corporation or company that provides products or services to the culinary profession or industry.

• TCA Associate members cannot hold elected state or local office but may hold a state or local chair
• TCA Associate members shall have no voting rights

TCA CulinarY Enthusiast

Description: A Culinary Enthusiast shall be a person of the non-food professional community that has a passion for the culinary arts.

• TCA Culinary Enthusiasts cannot hold elected state or local office but may hold a state or local appointed chair
• TCA Culinary Enthusiast members shall have not voting rights