Commercial Cook / Chef (SIT30821) — RPL Evidence Portfolio Guide

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Evidence portfolio guide for cooks and chefs seeking RPL for SIT30821.

Last updated 8 September 2026

Who this guide is for

Cooks and chefs without an Australian trade qualification
Overseas-trained cooks preparing for skills assessment or kitchen registration
Kitchen staff working under a head chef or executive chef

1. Visual evidence guidelines (photos & videos)

To satisfy independent RTO assessment criteria, submit 20 clear workplace photos and 20 video clips (about 30 seconds each).

Film during normal service and prep. Spread evidence across mise en place, cooking methods, special diets and safety.

Category A — Preparation and cookery methods

Mandatory

Knife skills: julienne, brunoise, chiffonade and butchery basics
Preparing stocks, sauces, soups and emulsions
Cooking meat, seafood and poultry: grilling, roasting, braising, frying
Preparing appetisers, salads, sandwiches and mains to standard

Category B — Menu items and special dietary needs

Mandatory

Following standard recipes and adjusting for yield
Preparing vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergen-aware dishes
Plating and presenting to restaurant standards
Receiving, storing and rotating stock to minimise waste

Category C — Kitchen safety, hygiene and teamwork

Mandatory

Following food safety plans, temperature logs and cleaning schedules
Using PPE and safe lifting and manual handling
Working a busy line and communicating with front of house
Cleaning and sanitising equipment, benches and floors

These task counts are our standard preparation guidance. Your assessing RTO may set different requirements — we confirm them before you start collecting.

2. Acceptable vs unacceptable visual evidence

Acceptable evidence (do this)

Unacceptable evidence (avoid this)

Your face and hands visible prepping, cooking and plating in a commercial kitchen

Plated dishes with no person or process shown

Recipe execution shown raw to finished, with narration

Silent, dark or shaky clips

Clean uniform, apron, hair covering and closed-toe non-slip shoes

Jewellery, loose hair, bare hands on ready-to-eat food or poor hygiene

Original phone or kitchen-camera files with matching dates

Menu, social media or stock images

3. Supporting documents checklist

Photo identification (passport or Australian driver licence)
Résumé listing every kitchen role, venue and dates
Employment reference from a head chef or venue manager confirming duties
Payslips, tax records or PAYG summaries
Overseas cookery certificates and transcripts, with translations if needed
Food safety supervisor certificate or other short courses
Redacted roster or timesheets showing commercial kitchen hours

4. How to organise and submit your portfolio

1. Film across several shifts
Cover prep, service and clean-down — not a single quiet shift.
2. Name files by category and dish
Use a pattern like CategoryA_Braise_BeefCheek_01.mp4 for each file.
3. Include your chef's reference
A supervising-chef reference describing your actual duties carries the file.
4. Keep hygiene visible
Gloves, hair covering, clean uniform and safe handling in every clip.
5. Submit and stay available
A cook-off or interview may follow submission.

5. Why portfolios get sent back

A preparation, cookery or safety category missing
Finished-dish shots only, with no proof you cooked them
No detailed supervising-chef reference
Poor lighting or angles hiding the technique
Hygiene breaches visible
Files duplicated across categories

6. Questions we get asked

Can I film during a busy dinner service?

Yes, but keep clips short and focused. A 30-second clip of you grilling, plating and calling the order is ideal.

What if my employer will not let me film?

Ask permission for a quiet prep period or after-service demonstration. Some venues allow filming with no audio or with faces cropped.

Do I need to show every cuisine?

No. Show the cooking methods you use daily — grilling, roasting, frying, braising, sauce work and plating — across different dishes.

Who makes the final decision?

An independent registered training organisation. Skills Connect prepares and reviews your evidence; we do not issue the qualification.

Not sure your evidence is strong enough?

Take the free skills check, or book a call and we'll review what you already have before you spend weeks collecting the wrong things.

Take the skills check Book a free skills audit

See the full Commercial Cook / Chef pathway page for qualification, licence and visa outcomes.

Skills Connect (EDUTEK PTY LTD) prepares and reviews RPL evidence. Assessment and certification are carried out by an independent registered training organisation or assessing authority.

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