CAIBOK organizes the entire culinary profession into a single structured framework of belts and pillars — so every cook knows exactly what to learn, what to prove, and how to advance. Earn credentials employers can verify, one belt at a time.
Progress through five ranks that mirror the professional kitchen brigade.
White Belt
Food Handler
Where everyone starts: essential food safety.
Brown Belt
Commis
Culinary and safety foundations for the entry level.
Green Belt
Chef de Partie
Station specialization across cooking, safety and business.
Red Belt
Sous Chef
Advanced mastery and station leadership.
Black Belt
Chef de Cuisine
Expert level: world cuisines, management and strategy.
Every belt builds the three competencies that define a complete culinary professional.
Hygiene, HACCP, allergens, hazard prevention and incident response.
Techniques, world cuisines, quality control and creativity on the plate.
Cost control, leadership, operations, marketing and restaurant management.
Your membership ($49.99/yr) covers the Brown Belt and curated electives. A belt fee then unlocks EVERYTHING at that level: its core exams, its electives and its capstone. You earn each belt by completing its required "core" subjects plus a few electives you choose, and belts unlock in order: Brown → Green → Red → Black.
Brown Belt
Total: 3 exams
3 all 3 subjects
Green Belt
Total: 8 exams
6 core (all required) + 2 electives (your choice)
Red Belt
Total: 8 exams
6 core (all required) + 2 electives (your choice)
Black Belt
Total: 9 exams
6 core (all required) + 3 electives (your choice)
At Black Belt, at least one elective must be from Professional Cooking.
Each belt requires the one before it: Brown, then Green, then Red, then Black. The White Belt is a separate, FREE entry-level credential — you apply for it by validating a basic food-safety certificate you already hold (e.g. ServSafe Food Handler), not by taking an exam. It is public and verifiable while it stays valid.
Each subject is an exam and a badge. Subjects marked "Core" are required for the belt; the rest are electives.
Combine subjects to earn recognized, verifiable certifications.
The food-handler credential — your starting point.
Three modules — Safety, Cooking and Business — for the Commis level.
Four modules: operations, cost, talent and strategy.
The complete culinary marketing and brand pathway.
The CAIBOK framework is public and free. Any educator, school, or training company can build courses, books, and programs aligned to it. CAIBOK evaluates competency and maintains an independent continuing-education (CE) registry — it does not deliver training or endorse any provider. Providers may apply for recognition to report CE credits through a neutral, criteria-based process.
Create your account and begin with your first belt.
See certifications Membership $49.99/yr