Introductory Basic Culinary Skills Certificate
Napa Valley College · Napa, CA
- Cost
- $617
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 30
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 22 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Napa MSA (Napa County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Job ads may call this: Cook · Sous Chef · Dinner Cook · School Cook
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
- Rotate and store food supplies.
- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
- Typical pay in California
- $47,565per yearNapa MSA: $49,272
- Projected openings
- 51,210Napa MSA: 150
- Projected change
- +9.9%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.
- No high school diploma
- 27%
- High school diploma
- 42%
- Started college, no degree
- 18%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 6%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Cooks, Private Household
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Private Chef · Personal Chef · Personal Private Chef · Certified Personal Chef (CPC)
- Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
- Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
- Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
- Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
- Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.
- Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.
- Typical pay in California
- Not reported
- Projected openings
- 6,310
- Projected change
- +2.4%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
California publishes no separate figure for this job in Napa MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- Under 5 years in a related job
- Training after you are hired
- None
Employers usually expect some time in a related job as well as the training. Ask the provider what their graduates did before they were hired.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.
- No high school diploma
- 27%
- High school diploma
- 42%
- Started college, no degree
- 18%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 6%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.
Cooks, All Other
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
The Department publishes no list of daily tasks for this job. This is how it describes the work instead.
All cooks not listed separately.
- Typical pay in California
- $43,946per year
- Projected openings
- 6,420
- Projected change
- +10.3%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
California publishes no separate figure for this job in Napa MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.
- No high school diploma
- 27%
- High school diploma
- 42%
- Started college, no degree
- 18%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 6%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
Program details
This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.
A program that prepares individuals to serve under the supervision of chefs and other food service professionals as kitchen support staff and commercial food preparation workers. Includes instruction in kitchen organization and operations, sanitation and quality control, basic food preparation and cooking skills, kitchen and kitchen equipment maintenance, and quantity food measurement and monitoring.
We could not reach the page in the federal record when we checked on 2026-08-04, so this links to the provider's home page instead.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
YoloWorks! Career Center- WoodlandComprehensive center
Phone: 530-661-2641
25 North Cottonwood StreetGonzalez BuildingWoodland, CA 95695about 21.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:00pm
CareerPoint NapaComprehensive center
Phone: 707-253-4134
2751 Napa Valley Corporate DriveBldg A. Suite 106Napa, CA 94559about 21.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
America`s Job Center of California - FairfieldAffiliate site
Phone: 707-863-3500
500 Chadbourne RoadSuite AFairfield, CA 94534about 22 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →