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Elements and Performance Criteria

Select specialised food items.
Plan menus or promotional strategies.
Prepare and present dishes using specialised food items.
Implement hygienic and safe practices.
- Identify potential hygiene and safety problems and take appropriate preventative measures to eliminate risks in the preparation of specialised food items.
- Store specialised food items hygienically and according to food safety requirements.

Required Skills

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit

negotiation skills to purchase products at costeffective prices

advanced or specialised preparation and cooking techniques

safe work practices particularly in relation to using advanced or specialist cooking and preparation techniques

problemsolving skills to deal with breakdowns in systems or equipment

literacy skills to research specialised food items

numeracy skills to calculate effective cost price and quantities of commodities and other ingredients for specialised food items

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit

effects of methods of preparation and cooking on the flavour and appearance of specialised food items

culinary terms used to describe specialised food items and equipment

history and significance of specialised food items

principles and practices of hygiene

purchasing and storage of specialist food items

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency

Evidence of the following is essential

preparation of a range of specialised menu items of the same or varying categories of food depending on the enterprise or context

preparation of a range of specialised food items to enterprise standards within typical workplace time constraints

selection of cookery methods appropriate to the product and taking into consideration any dietary historical and cultural issues

food safety in relation to preparation cooking and storage of specialised food items

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure

demonstration of skills within a suitably equipped food preparation area as defined in the Assessment Guidelines

access to specialised equipment suited to the food item in question

use of a variety of specialised food items

industryrealistic ratios of kitchen staff to customers

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge The following examples are appropriate for this unit

direct observation of the candidate preparing specialised food items

case studies to assess ability to suggest and prepare specialised food items in response to particular needs

sampling of food items prepared by the candidate

written or oral questions to test knowledge of specialised food items

review of portfolios of evidence and thirdparty workplace reports of onthejob performance by the candidate

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role is recommended for example

SITHCCCB Select prepare and serve specialised cuisines

SITHCCC024B Select, prepare and serve specialised cuisines

SITHCCCA Prepare foods according to dietary and cultural needs

SITHCCC029A Prepare foods according to dietary and cultural needs

SITHCCCA Develop menus to meet special dietary and cultural needs

SITHCCC035A Develop menus to meet special dietary and cultural needs.

Assessing employability skills

Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role

Range Statement


The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Specialised food items may include:	meats, poultry and game other than lamb, beef, pork and chicken offal and specialist meat products unusual fish, shellfish and other foods from salt or fresh water aromatics, flavourings, spices and herbs seeds and nuts fungi preserves, condiments and accompaniments commodities from ethnic cuisines and cultural traditions such as Mexican, Asian and Middle Eastern fruits, vegetables, flowers and salad items aquatic plants, such as seaweeds specialist cheeses and dairy products bush foods and native Australian ingredients specialist cakes, pastries, breads, desserts, preserves and sweets.

Promotional strategies may include:	menus specials lists blackboards flyers and pamphlets media releases internet.

Specialised preparation and cooking may include:	marinating and coating tenderising hanging of meat, poultry and game preserving, including drying, salting, pickling, and hot and cold smoking techniques such as cooking on salt, and using special ovens and cooking utensils earth oven cooking.

Preventative measures may include:	identifying and discarding poisonous or non-edible parts of food items safe handling of food items with potential for injury, such as spines and thorns using particular cooking techniques to maximise quality and appeal safe and hygienic operation of food preparation equipment.