Level 1 Foundation Programme · Cohort 2 · Live calls from 3 December

The nutrition side of the job. Finally written down.

Twelve modules on what food does inside the body and how that shows up in how someone performs, written by a nutritionist who has spent ten years working next to chefs in football. A live call with him every week. Whether you cook for a first team, a restaurant, a school or one client, when someone asks why that's on the menu today you've got the answer, and you know it's right.

Enrol in cohort 2 What the chefs say

£599 including VAT in full, or four monthly payments of £187.25. Capped at 50 chefs. Part 1 opens the day you enrol. Half of cohort 1 work in sport. The other half are restaurant, hotel, school and private chefs who want to understand this side of food, or get into sport.

  • SENr approvedApproved for CPD by the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register, the UK register for sport nutritionists.
  • 40 hoursOf continuing education recognised by the American Culinary Federation.
  • 2 to 5 hoursPer module, in your own time, plus the weekly live call. Calls are recorded if you miss one.
  • 80% to passEvery module ends with a graded test. Pass it to move on.
  • Checkable in secondsYour certificate is issued by an independent platform, with a QR code any club can scan.

Why this exists

Nobody ever trained the chef.

The coach, the physio, the doctor and the nutritionist all trained for the job they do. The chef feeding the players didn't, because the training never existed. You learn it off whichever nutritionist is in the building, and it changes when they leave. Ness saw that for ten years from the other side of the pass. Then he went and asked the chefs.

It isn't only a sport problem. Every chef cooks for people who need to perform at something, and most of us were never taught what the food actually does once it's eaten. That part of the trade got left out of the training, wherever you cook.

"Massively different to working in normal kitchens. There's no difference between a qualification for a normal chef and for somebody that works in our industry."
David McNee, 15 years cooking in football club kitchens, cohort 1
62head chefs in elite football were asked about their job
16different job titles came back for the same job
18of the 62 had ever had any formal training in sport nutrition

From a 2025 peer-reviewed study of chefs in professional football, co-written by Ness. Read the study

What the chefs say

Chefs on the programme now, in their own words.

From the cohort WhatsApp group, the live calls and their messages to us. Nothing here was written for a website.

David McNee

On why it's written down

"Every time you get a new nutritionist in, they're giving you different pieces of advice. It's good to see something written down."
David McNee, head chef, professional football club, cohort 1
What he's talking aboutThe twelve modules. One version, written once, by one nutritionist.
Stephanie Robinson

On the live calls

"Everything is going really well so far and I'm really enjoying the course. I'm learning a lot, the group chat and Thursday session has been incredibly helpful."
Stephanie Robinson, private chef, cohort 1
What she's talking aboutAbout an hour with Ness every week, and a group of chefs doing the same thing in different kitchens.
Brian Durbin

On doing it outside sport

"To become a better chef, leader and learn more about the opportunities in cooking for athletes."
Brian Durbin, sous chef, private country club, Missouri, cohort 1
What he's talking aboutBrian isn't cooking for a team. He's using it on his own brigade: how to keep chefs fuelled and hydrated through a long, hot service.
Shane O'Neill

On sitting between the team and the nutritionist

"I want to be a valuable midpoint between teams and nutritionists."
Shane O'Neill, executive chef, hotel hosting travelling teams, cohort 1
What he's talking about35 years in kitchens, feeding visiting squads and their nutrition staff. Same language on both sides of the pass now.
Mihoko Obunai

On where it goes

"Watching the game from a new perspective was a revelation. The PCA programme has been a significant source of motivation and has helped me envision my future as a performance chef."
Mihoko Obunai, executive chef, 25 years, cohort 1
What she's talking aboutShe's now interviewing for a performance chef role. We did her CV and interview prep with her, free.

Quotes and photos used with each chef's permission. Clubs and employers are only named where the chef has said we can.

The Performance Chef Register

Train. Get listed. Get found.

Clubs and employers have never had one place to look for chefs who understand athletes. Now they do. Every chef on the programme gets a free place on the Performance Chef Register, from the day they start, not the day they finish.

  • 01Listed while you train.Your profile shows your experience, the kitchens you have run, and where you are on the programme.
  • 02Employers come to us, we come to you.A club or caterer who wants to talk to you contacts PCA. We check who they are and make the introduction.
  • 03You decide what is shown.Employers see your first name, your bio and your experience. Not your surname, not your current employer. Joining is optional.
See the register

The curriculum

Twelve modules. Four parts. Built around the training week.

Each part is three modules, then a rest week to catch up. Each module ends with a graded test of 20 questions, drawn from a bank of 45. You need 80% to move on. A live call with Ness every week, recorded if you miss it.

Part 1 · Modules 1 to 3

The foundations of performance cooking

Opens the day you enrol

  1. 01The physiology of performance cooking: how the body uses what you cook
  2. 02From nutrition guidelines to kitchen decisions
  3. 03Fuel the engine
  4. Rest week
After Part 1You can tell anyone you feed, a player, a guest or your own commis, what the rice, the chicken and the greens are each doing for them, in plain words, without looking it up.
Part 2 · Modules 4 to 6

Energy, delivery and fuel

Opens 3 January 2027

  1. 04Energy demand, energy balance, and the cost of performance
  2. 05Protect the system: how the gut controls fuel, comfort and performance
  3. 06Carbohydrate: the fuel that runs out
  4. Rest week
After Part 2You don't write the menu until you've seen the training schedule. Rest day, double session, MD-1, MD+1: different day, different plate, and you know why.
Part 3 · Modules 7 to 9

Fat, protein and fluid

Opens 3 February 2027

  1. 07Fat: evidence, application, and kitchen practice
  2. 08Protein and amino acids: building, repairing, and protecting performance
  3. 09Fluid and electrolytes: hydration, sweat, and performance resilience
  4. Rest week
After Part 3You know how much protein, what kind of fat and how much fluid belongs on a match day, a travel day and a recovery day, and you can adjust it yourself when the nutritionist isn't there.
Part 4 · Modules 10 to 12

Micronutrients, supplements and the individual athlete

Opens 3 March 2027

  1. 10Vitamins and minerals
  2. 11Nutrition supplements
  3. 12Specific populations: personalising performance nutrition
  4. Certificate of completion opens 10 April 2027
After Part 4When a player asks about creatine, or a female athlete is flagged for iron, or someone's coming back from injury, you know what the kitchen can do about it and what to leave to the nutritionist.

The programme is approved for CPD. It is not a regulated qualification and it does not make you a nutritionist. It makes you a chef who understands the nutritionist, and who the nutritionist can rely on.

Dr Nessan Costello on the pitch at a floodlit stadium
Dr Nessan CostelloSENr Registered Nutritionist · PhD

Who teaches it

Taught by the nutritionist who relied on the chef.

Over a decade feeding elite footballers: Leeds Rhinos, Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, Newcastle United, Chelsea, where they won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Now Head of Nutrition at Al Ahli, with back-to-back Asian Champions League titles, and a consultant to FIFA.

He published the research on the chef's role in football, then wrote the programme that was missing. He wrote every module and runs every live call.

"This is not about replacing the nutritionist. It is about completing the chain."

On completion

A certificate an employer can check in seconds.

Finish all twelve modules and pass each test and you receive the Level 1 Certificate of Completion, signed by Dr Nessan Costello, with 40 continuing education hours recognised by the American Culinary Federation. It is issued by Accredible, an independent credentialing platform, with a QR code and a live link any club can check, and it adds to LinkedIn in one click. You collect a badge at the end of each part along the way.

Example PCA Level 1 certificate with a QR code in the corner
Example certificate. The QR code in the top corner is what a club scans.

Before you enrol

The practical bits.

How much time does it take?

Two to five hours per module, in your own time, plus the live call each week, which runs about an hour and is recorded. Three modules a month, then a rest week.

Who is it for?

Any professional chef who wants to understand what food does inside the body and how it changes the way someone performs. Cohort 1 is about half and half: chefs from football, Australian rules, baseball, racing and college sport, alongside restaurant, hotel, country club, school and private chefs. Some want to get into sport. Some want to cook better for the people they already feed, including their own brigade. You do not need to work in sport. You do need to cook for a living.

How does the cohort work?

Cohort 2 is capped at 50 chefs. Part 1 opens the day you enrol. Live coaching starts 3 December 2026 and runs weekly. Parts 2, 3 and 4 open on 3 January, 3 February and 3 March 2027, with a rest week after each part. The certificate opens 10 April 2027.

What does it cost?

£599 including VAT paid in full, or four monthly payments of £187.25 (£749 in total). Clubs and employers putting a team through can email hello@performancechefacademy.com for a VAT invoice.

What if it is not for me?

A full refund within 14 days of purchase, as long as you have not attended a live call or completed Module 1. Email hello@performancechefacademy.com.

Will this make me a nutritionist?

No, and it isn't meant to. The nutritionist sets the plan. The chef makes it happen on the plate. This programme teaches the part of their world you need, so the chain is complete.

Cohort 2

£599including VAT, paid in full. Or four monthly payments of £187.25.
  • 12 modules in 4 parts, with a rest week after each
  • Live coaching with Ness every week from 3 December
  • Private cohort group, capped at 50 chefs
  • Timed service scenarios in every module
  • Certificate of Completion and 4 badges via Accredible
  • 40 ACF continuing education hours
  • A free place on the Performance Chef Register
  • 14-day refund if you have not passed Module 1
Enrol in cohort 2

Part 1 opens as soon as you enrol. Questions: nessan@performancechefacademy.com

Not ready yet?

Get Fuel for Thought every Monday.

A free five-minute email from Ness. One idea about food and performance, one question, one thing to try in your kitchen that week. Plus the first word on new cohorts and roles in sport. No pitch in the body, one line at the end.

Putting a team through?

Places for clubs, caterers and colleges, invoiced with VAT. Employers can ask for a progress update on their chefs at any point.

Email the team

hello@performancechefacademy.com