# RED SEAL HELP!



## exodus (Nov 15, 2012)

I have just completed my Red seal exam for the second time unsucessfully for the second time. I feel that the test is out dated and I wolud like to challenge my results but I dont know how to go about doing so. Any help in this area would be greatly appericiated. I live in Ontario incase that makes a difference.


----------



## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Exodus said:


> II wolud like to challenge my results but I dont know how to go about doing so. Any help in this area would be greatly appericiated. I live in Ontario incase that makes a difference.


Great question, and I have the answer for you, but you should already know it.

You challenged the Red seal, right? So you had to provide some information like hours worked and where--to whom did you give this information to?

Second clue: Before you wrote the test, you had to pay a fee. What name was on the receipt given to you?

Third clue: When you were informed that you didn't pass, who informed you and how?

But hey, you're right Ontario does make a difference, a big difference.

See, most western provinces have moved into modern times and have re-vamped the whole "Red Seal" qualification. Both B.C. and Alta. now require an actual live cooking test (4 courses for 6 ppl) *Plus* one bread item, one large dessert, and 6 individual desserts, all in under 4 hrs, _*Plus*_ the regular written exam. Don't know about Alta. but "challenging" the Red Seal in B.C. will be phased out by 2015, by then you'll have to pass Cook II before you can write the Red seal, and to get to Cook II, you have to pass Cook I.

Ontar-ari-ario still has the 200+ multiple choice kweshtun exam, no live cooking, and if you don't pass the first time, you get a second chance for free.

I know, I sound like a real hard-a** and a piece of crap to boot, but your post really has me steamed.

Why?

Let me put it to you this way....

Say you drive a taxi for a living, O.K.? One day you get a fare who whines and moans that he should be driving a taxi, but took the driving test twice and failed twice and now he's P.O.'d and wants heads to roll before he can get his driver's license.

Now, do you:

A) Sympathize with the guy

or

B) Say a silent prayer of thanks to the guys at the driver's license office for keeping a incompetent person off the road?


----------



## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Didn't like my answer, eh?

I make no apologies about being a hard a**, but maybe I should explain how the test is designed.

By now you should have figured out the test was the work of ITA (industy training authority). This is a federal dept. and is responsible for the qualifications and testing of all the trades.  Obviously they don't make the questions for each trade.  Each province has the right to design thier tests for each trade.

Each province has a panel of "experts" chosen by ITA.  In my case for B.C. they were instructors from the community college, chefs from mega hotels and chefs from smaller retaurants--8 in total plus the federal gov't employee from ITA.  This is done usually every two years.  Everyone sits around a table and goes over the questions to be asked.  Serious discussion is given to "weighing" each question, or the impact a right or wrong answer will have on the overall exam.  "Heavy" subjects were hygiene, critical temps. the how's and why's of cooking methods (braising, sauteing, steaming, poaching, etc) and basic preparations. (cold emulsions, hot emulsions, basic meat fabrication, basic quick breads, etc) 

Granted knowing the how a Sauce Mornay or Gribiche is made is pretty low on the totem pole, but even if yo don't k ow that, and you get most of the "heavy" subjects right, you'll still pass.

Really the whole "challenging" thingee should be gone.  Most of the questions on this board and many others concerning "Red Seal" involve knowing what kind of questions should be asked.  In other words, mot challengers have absoluelty no idea of what they are getting into.

Hope this helps.......


----------

