- TESDA
Cookery NC II or Bread and Pastry Production NC II: A Kitchen Work Guide
- Nico Vela
- 22 Oct 2026
For kitchen work, the two qualifications people compare are Cookery NC II and Bread and Pastry Production NC II. Cookery covers hot meals, cold meals, and desserts in food service. Bread and Pastry covers bread, pastry, cakes, and plating desserts.
TESDA has published online modules for both in the TESDA Online Program (TOP). Enrollment is free. When you finish a module, you may receive an e-certificate of completion. That is separate from a National Certificate (NC). The NC comes from a separate competency assessment.
The module list in this guide comes from the official course pages on October 23, 2026. The catalog changes, so open the course page again before you enroll. SiteDecide is an independent educational information resource and is not affiliated with TESDA.
The full free-course list is in the TESDA Online Program guide. The steps after an online course are in how to get a National Certificate.
Which qualification matches which kitchen job?
| Cookery NC II | Bread and Pastry Production NC II | |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification code on the Philippine Qualifications Register | TRSCOK214 | TRSBPP209 |
| Board resolution on the register | No. 2014-09, January 10, 2014, listed as present | No. 2009-12, July 13, 2009, listed as present |
| What it covers | Clean kitchen areas, and prepare hot meals, cold meals, and desserts for guests | Clean equipment, tools, and utensils, and prepare, portion, and plate pastries, breads, and dessert items |
| Work named in the Training Regulation | Cook or commis, or assistant cook, in the garde manger, pastry, or hot kitchen | Commis-pastry or baker |
| TOP modules on October 23, 2026 | 10 modules in the Cookery folder | Preparing Cakes, plus an accessibility copy |
| NC | Assessment is required for the full qualification | Assessment is required for the full qualification |
Food and Beverage Services NC II is a different qualification. It covers serving food and drinks, not cooking or baking.
The Cookery NC II Training Regulation, amended in October 2014, says a person who achieves the qualification is competent to work as a cook, commis, or assistant cook. The Bread and Pastry Production NC II Training Regulation, promulgated in July 2009, names commis-pastry or baker. The bread qualification has a later title. Read that section before you use the 2009 list for assessment.
Which modules has TESDA published online?
These are the course cards in the official folders on October 23, 2026. The folder name is the qualification title. A module inside the folder is not itself a National Certificate.
Cookery NC II
The Cookery NC II folder has ten modules:
- Fundamentals of Professional Cookery. This is a prerequisite module. It covers the knowledge and skills you need in the kitchen before hands-on food preparation.
- Preparing Stocks, Sauces, and Soup. Procedures for preparing and storing stocks, sauces, and soups, plus standard recipes.
- Preparing Egg, Vegetable and Farinaceous Dishes. Basic egg-cookery techniques, and basic procedures for vegetables and starch dishes. Farinaceous means starch dishes here.
- Preparing Seafood Dishes. Procedures for fish and shellfish dishes.
- Preparing Poultry and Game Dishes. Poultry such as chicken, turkey, duck, and quail, plus furred and feathered game animals.
- Preparing Meat Dishes. Procedures for beef, pork, and lamb. The course page says fowl and game are covered in a separate module.
- Preparing Sandwiches. The module is listed in the folder. The description on the course page repeats the salads text, so read the module itself before you enroll.
- Preparing Salads and Salad Dressings. TESDA places this in the Preparing Cold Meals cluster. It covers preparing and presenting salads and dressings.
- Preparing Appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres. This is also in Preparing Cold Meals.
- Preparing Desserts (Updated). Hot, cold, and frozen desserts from standard and enterprise recipes. It includes mise en place, sweet sauces, presentation, and storage.
Bread and Pastry Production NC II
The Bread and Pastry Production NC II folder has one published competency:
- Preparing Cakes. This is for bakers and pastry cooks, or patissiers. It covers producing, filling, decorating, and presenting specialized sponges and cakes. TESDA describes it as one competency in the qualification, not the full NC.
There is a second copy, Preparing Cakes - TOP CAF. The scope is the same. It adds accessibility features for learners with hearing and visual impairments. Both appear in the Preparing Cakes search on October 23, 2026.
The TOP folder does not yet have its own module title for bakery products, pastry products, petits fours, or presenting desserts.
What is in the Training Regulation but not in the TOP folder?
An online module is a TOP lesson. A unit of competency is part of the qualification that is assessed. Finishing a module does not by itself produce a Certificate of Competency, even when the topic matches.
Cookery NC II
The October 2014 Training Regulation is the file TESDA still posts for this qualification. Cookery NC II is still on the Training Regulations download list, and that list does not mark it superseded. The core units are:
- Clean and maintain kitchen premises
- Prepare stocks, sauces and soups
- Prepare appetizers
- Prepare salads and dressing
- Prepare sandwiches
- Prepare meat dishes
- Prepare vegetables dishes
- Prepare egg dishes
- Prepare starch dishes
- Prepare poultry and game dishes
- Prepare seafood dishes
- Prepare desserts
- Package prepared food
Two of these have no module title of their own in the TOP folder: clean and maintain kitchen premises, and package prepared food. Egg, vegetable, and starch dishes are grouped into one online module. Finishing that course is not three Certificates of Competency.
The qualification also has basic and common units: workplace communication, teamwork, career professionalism, occupational health and safety, industry knowledge, hygiene, computer operations, workplace safety, and customer service. The Training Regulation says these are assessed together with the core units.
On November 13, 2024, TESDA Board Resolution No. 2024-17 promulgated Training Regulations titled Food Production (Professional Cookery) NC II. The resolution title does not say that this replaced Cookery NC II. If an assessment center uses that title, follow the center’s checklist.
Bread and Pastry Production NC II
The July 2009 Training Regulation is the PDF still linked at the old download address. On TESDA’s Training Regulations list, Bread and Pastry Production NC II is labeled superseded. On August 16, 2023, TESDA Board Resolution No. 2023-02 promulgated the amended Training Regulations from Bread and Pastry Production NC II to Food Production (Bread and Patisserie) NC II.
As of October 23, 2026, the Philippine Qualifications Register still lists TRSBPP209 as present, and the TOP folder still uses the name Bread and Pastry Production NC II. The full text of the 2023 Training Regulation is not available at the usual download links, so this guide does not list the units under the new title.
The core units in the 2009 document are:
- Prepare and produce bakery products
- Prepare and produce pastry products
- Prepare and present gateaux, tortes and cakes
- Prepare and display petits fours
- Present desserts
Preparing Cakes is the online module closest to cakes. Bread, pastry, petits fours, and presenting desserts do not have their own TOP modules.
Before you apply for assessment, ask the center whether it assesses Bread and Pastry Production NC II or Food Production (Bread and Patisserie) NC II. TESDA’s Self-Assessment Guides list includes an entry named “Bread and Pastry Production NC II - Amended.” Download the guide that matches the qualification the center will assess: Self-Assessment Guides.
The NC still requires assessment
These three documents are easy to mix up:
| Document | How you get it | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| E-certificate of completion | Finish the online module in TOP | You completed the online lesson |
| Certificate of Competency (COC) | Pass assessment for one cluster of units | Competence in part of the qualification |
| National Certificate (NC) | Pass every unit in the qualification | Competence in the full qualification |
The October 2014 Cookery NC II Training Regulation groups the core units into three COC clusters:
- Prepare and cook hot meals. This includes kitchen premises, stocks, sauces and soups, poultry and game, seafood, eggs, starch, vegetables, packaging prepared food, and meat.
- Prepare cold meals. This includes kitchen premises, appetizers, salads and dressings, packaging prepared food, and sandwiches.
- Prepare sweets. This includes kitchen premises, desserts, and packaging prepared food.
The Training Regulation says the Cookery NC II is issued after you pass and submit all of those COCs.
The July 2009 Bread and Pastry Production NC II Training Regulation has four COC clusters: bread making, pastry making, cake making, and petits fours making. In that document, presenting desserts sits inside each cluster. Use this as a description of the 2009 Training Regulation. If the center already assesses the amended qualification, follow the center’s checklist.
There is an assessment fee. It is separate from free TOP enrollment. The payment, requirements, and schedule are in the National Certificate guide. Downloading the e-certificate is covered in how to download and verify a TESDA e-certificate.
Who can enter, according to the Training Regulation?
A training center may add its own requirements, such as education or work experience. These are the lists in the two PDFs:
| Requirement in the TR | Cookery NC II, October 2014 | Bread and Pastry Production NC II, July 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Oral and written | Basic English, oral and written |
| Health | Physically and mentally fit | Physically and mentally fit |
| Character | Good moral character | Good moral character |
| Math | Basic mathematical computation | Basic mathematical computation |
| Education on the national list | Not on the TR list | At least a high school graduate |
| Other | Not on the TR list | Pleasing personality |
The 2009 list belongs to the document labeled superseded on the Training Regulations page. Ask the center for the entry requirements of the qualification it actually assesses.
How to choose
Choose Cookery NC II if the work you want is stocks, sauces, soups, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, eggs, starch, salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts for a restaurant or another food service.
Choose Bread and Pastry Production NC II if you want bread, pastry, and cakes. On TOP, cakes is the only published module. Hands-on bread and pastry work is not in that folder yet.
You can take both. They are two qualifications, so each NC needs its own assessment.
Online lessons can teach procedures. Assessment is a demonstration of competency at an accredited assessment center. Practice in an actual kitchen or bakery before you apply. If you need a trainer and a workshop schedule, a scholarship slot is a different program. The difference is in the free face-to-face scholarship guide. That does not mean a slot is open now for either qualification.
What to do next
- Open the Cookery NC II folder or the Bread and Pastry Production NC II folder. Read the module before you enroll.
- Create a free account on e-tesda.gov.ph. The steps are in the enrollment guide.
- Download the Self-Assessment Guide for the exact qualification the center will assess.
- Find a center on Assessment Centers or the Assessment Center Index. Check that the center is accredited for your qualification, then ask whether a schedule is open.
- Ask whether the center uses Cookery NC II or Food Production (Professional Cookery) NC II, and Bread and Pastry Production NC II or Food Production (Bread and Patisserie) NC II.
Frequently asked questions
Does finishing the online modules give me an NC?
No. You may receive an e-certificate of completion. TESDA issues the National Certificate after you pass competency assessment for the full qualification.
Which one should I take for kitchen work?
Take Cookery NC II for hot meals, cold meals, and desserts. Take Bread and Pastry Production NC II for bread, pastry, and cakes. They are different qualifications.
Does Preparing Cakes cover all of Bread and Pastry Production NC II?
No. On TOP, Preparing Cakes is one competency in that qualification. As of October 23, 2026, bakery products, pastry products, petits fours, and presenting desserts do not have their own module titles.
Can I take both?
Yes. They are two qualifications, so each NC needs its own assessment. The two TOP folders do not combine into one National Certificate.
