Catering, Pastry and Street Food Level 2

Who it is for. People who have finished Catering, Pastry and Street Food (Level 1), or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work, mostly routine, under limited supervision.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Level 1 did not cover: cleaning and sanitising schedules, pest control and records to the FDA code; cooling and reheating big batches; bread in quantity; cakes and pastry for orders; small chops; event catering; running a stand to permit standard; quotes and per-head pricing. This manual does.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace. Every unit ends with homework and a Check yourself quiz. Numbers marked "example" are invented for practice.

Competency standard

Range. The training kitchen and one outside kitchen (chop bar, canteen or bakery) visited with permission. Evidence. Premises checklist; cleaning schedule and records; receiving record; observation.

What the FDA code asks of your kitchen

The FDA's Code of Hygienic Practice for Food Service Establishments sets the rules a permit inspection follows. The main points for a small kitchen are:

The code's structural rules do not apply to food events that run for less than two weeks; the hygiene rules still do.

Cleaning and sanitising

Cleaning removes dirt and grease. Sanitising kills most germs left on a clean surface. The FDA code defines sanitising as heat or chemicals that reduce germs by 99.999%. You must clean first, because dirt protects germs.

Steps: clean and sanitise a work table or board

You need: two buckets (one soapy, one rinse), colour-coded cloths, a scraper, detergent, a sanitiser (household bleach diluted to the label's food-contact strength, or a food-grade sanitiser), gloves.

1. Scrape off food scraps into the bin.
2. Wash with hot soapy water and a clean cloth.
3. Rinse with clean water.
4. Apply sanitiser at the strength on its label; leave it for the contact time on the label.
5. Rinse if the label says so; air-dry. Do not wipe dry with a used cloth.
6. Record it on the cleaning schedule with your initials.

Common mistakes. Using one cloth for everything; mixing bleach with other cleaners (dangerous fumes); sanitising a dirty surface. Fix: colour-coded cloths, one chemical at a time, clean first.

A weekly cleaning schedule (example)

Receive and store food

The code says deliveries must be inspected on arrival: no damage, pests or dirt; food in good condition; chilled food delivered cold; packs intact and labelled with a date; anything that fails is rejected and recorded. Bulk flour, sugar, salt, oil and spices go into clean, covered, labelled containers, and only FDA-registered packaged ingredients are used.

Check your thermometer

Calibrate food thermometers in crushed ice at least weekly. A good thermometer in a jug of crushed ice and a little water reads 0 °C after a minute or two; if it does not, adjust it as the maker says or replace it.

Check yourself

1. How high must washable wall surfaces reach where open food is handled?
2. How long must the FDA code's records be kept?
3. What two ways does the code allow for thawing frozen chicken?

Competency standard

Range. Jollof or fried rice, a tomato stew, a light soup and a groundnut or palm-nut soup, each for at least 50 portions (may be shared between trainees). Evidence. Standard recipes; cooking, cooling and hot-holding records; dishes; observation.

Standard recipes

A standard recipe is a recipe card that any trained cook can follow and get the same result. It has:

Scaling up

Scale factor = new yield ÷ old yield. Multiply every ingredient by it. Then check:

• Liquid: big pots lose less water by evaporation, so add liquid slowly and keep some back.
• Salt, pepper and stock cubes: add about three-quarters of the scaled amount, taste, then add the rest (the author's kitchen rule).
• Time: big pots take longer to boil and to cook through; check the core temperature, not the clock.
• Pot size: a pot should be no more than about two-thirds full so you can stir without spilling (the author's safety rule).

Steps: a big pot of stew (example: tomato stew for 60)

You need: a 30–40 litre pot on a strong burner; long spatula; probe thermometer; shallow trays for cooling; recipe card.

1. Wash and prepare onions, tomatoes, pepper, ginger and garlic; blend in batches.
2. Season and part-cook the meat or fish separately; it must reach 70 °C in the thickest part before it goes into the stew.
3. Heat oil; fry onions; add tomato paste and fry until it darkens and the oil rises.
4. Add blended tomatoes; simmer, stirring from the bottom, until thick.
5. Add the meat and stock; simmer; taste and season.
6. Check the core temperature in the middle of the pot: at least 70 °C. Record it.
7. Either hold hot above 60 °C for service, or cool it fast (below).

Soups

Light soup, groundnut soup and palm-nut soup are cooked the same way: wash and prepare ingredients, cook meat or fish through, simmer the soup base, combine, check the core temperature (70 °C or more), hold above 60 °C. For palm-nut soup, buy palm fruit or concentrate from a trusted seller and never accept oil or concentrate with an unnaturally deep red colour.

Cool fast

Germs grow fastest in the middle of the danger zone. A big pot left on the floor to cool can stay warm all night. Do this instead:

1. Divide the food into shallow trays, no more than about 5 cm deep.
2. Stand the trays in cold water or ice, or in a cool, clean, airy place, covered loosely with a clean cloth or mesh.
3. Stir now and then.
4. For rice: cool within 1½ hours, then cover and refrigerate (below 5 °C).
5. As a guide for other foods, a rule used by several food-safety agencies abroad is: from 60 °C to about 20 °C within 2 hours, then to 5 °C or below within the next 4 hours (see the flag below). Use a thermometer and write the times down.
6. Label each tray with the dish and date; use within the time on your recipe card.

Reheat once, and only once

• Reheat only food that was cooled safely and kept cold.
• Reheat until steaming hot throughout, at least 75 °C in the middle.
• Never reheat more than once. Leftovers from leftovers go in the bin.
• Food that has been served to a customer or put on a table must not be served again, except unopened packaged food that is not risky.

Hold hot

Keep food for service above 60 °C. Check the temperature every hour and write it down. If food falls below 60 °C, reheat it at once to 75 °C if it has been below 60 °C for less than 2 hours, or throw it away if longer or unsure (the author's rule, based on the 2-hour limit in Source: WHO Five Keys).

Check yourself

1. Why must you not cool a big pot of rice on the floor overnight?
2. To what temperature must reheated food reach, and how many times may you reheat it?
3. Can food left on a customer's table be served to someone else?

Competency standard

Range. Tea bread or sugar bread in tins, soft buns, yeast doughnuts. Evidence. Formula sheets; batch records; products; fault log.

The law for bakers

The FDA says it is legally mandated to license bakeries and register bread; a regional FDA head told bakers in 2023 that unregistered bread cannot be sold and that a bakery must not be near a public toilet, open gutter or refuse dump. Bakers must pass a food handler's test, should not carry bread in public vehicles where it can be contaminated, must not leave baked bread open to flies before packing, and should keep records of production, cleaning, raw materials, suppliers and equipment maintenance. Bakeries are also listed in the FDA's definition of a food service establishment. Registering a packaged bread is a product registration (see the hub's Food Processing and Cold Vending Level 2). Never use potassium bromate.

Enriched dough formula (example)

Level 1 used a lean formula. Ghana's soft breads use more sugar, fat and milk. A teaching formula for a soft tea bread (example percentages; adjust to your flour and customers):

From loaves to flour. Baking loses about 10–13% of the dough weight. To get a 400 g loaf, scale each piece at about 400 ÷ 0.88 = 455 g of dough (allowing 12%). Then:

1. Total dough = number of loaves × dough per loaf.
2. Flour = total dough ÷ (total % ÷ 100).
3. Each ingredient = flour × its % ÷ 100.

Steps: tin bread in quantity

1. Scale every ingredient on a scale; check the yeast is in date.
2. Mix dry ingredients; add water; mix until it pulls from the bowl; add margarine; knead until smooth and stretchy (a thin piece stretched between your fingers lets light through without tearing).
3. Bulk ferment covered in a warm place, folding once to release gas.
4. Divide with a scraper and weigh each piece to 455 g (example); round tightly.
5. Bench rest 10–20 minutes, covered.
6. Shape into a tight log; place seam down in a greased tin.
7. Prove 30 minutes to 2 hours until risen and the dough springs back slowly. Do not knock it back after proving.
8. Bake until golden; the centre should reach about 190 °F (88 °C).
9. De-tin at once and cool on a rack on its side so the base does not go soggy.
10. Pack only when cool; bread in bags keeps at room temperature for a few hours or days, freezes well, and goes stale faster in the fridge.

Yeast doughnuts

Make a soft enriched dough (as above, with an egg or two in place of some water); roll 1.5 cm thick; cut rings or rounds; prove until puffy; fry at about 170–175 °C, turning once; drain; roll in sugar or fill with jam when cool (a common method; test and adjust). Check: cut one open: no raw dough line in the middle. Oil too cool gives greasy doughnuts; too hot gives dark outsides and raw centres.

Bread faults and fixes

Check yourself

1. Why do you scale a 400 g loaf at about 455 g of dough?
2. What does an over-proved loaf look like?
3. Name two FDA rules for bakers from the 2023 training.

Competency standard

Range. One creamed cake, one chiffon cake, sausage rolls or meat pies, spring rolls, a small-chops box. Evidence. Products; batch records; cake order form; allergen card.

Two cake methods

Creaming method (butter cakes; Level 1): fat and sugar creamed 5–10 minutes until pale; eggs added one at a time; dry and liquid added in turns, starting and ending with dry. Ingredients at about room temperature mix best; a curdled batter comes from cold ingredients, rushed mixing or liquid added too fast.

Chiffon method (light sponge with oil):

1. Sift the dry ingredients with part of the sugar.
2. On low speed, stream in the oil, then the yolks, water and flavour.
3. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks; add cream of tartar (if used) and the rest of the sugar; whip to stiff peaks.
4. Fold the whites into the batter gently.
5. Grease and line only the bottom of the tin; greased sides stop the cake climbing.
6. Bake; cool the cake upside-down in the tin.

Cake faults

Covering and decorating

American buttercream (fat creamed with icing sugar) is easy, but it melts easily and is poor for outdoor cakes in hot weather; royal icing (egg white and icing sugar) dries hard for decoration. In Ghana's heat, keep buttercream cakes cool and deliver them in a closed, shaded car or box.

Steps: fill and cover a cake

1. Level the cooled cake with a long knife; cut into two layers.
2. Spread filling on the bottom layer; place the top layer.
3. Spread a thin "crumb coat" all over; chill 20 minutes.
4. Spread the final coat smooth with a palette knife.
5. Pipe the border and the message; check spelling with the customer's order form before you pipe.
6. Box, label with the customer's name, collection time and "keep cool".

Flaky or mealy pastry?

• Flaky: rub the fat in only until the pieces are the size of a pea or hazelnut; the fat flattens into layers that make flakes. Good for pie tops, sausage rolls and blind-baked cases.
• Mealy: rub the fat in until it looks like coarse cornmeal; the crust is softer and resists sogginess. Good for wet fillings.
• Keep the fat cold with iced water so it does not melt.

Small chops

A small-chops box usually has a few pieces each of meat pie or sausage roll, spring roll, samosa, puff-puff (bofrot), kelewele or plantain chips, and grilled or fried chicken or gizzard, with a dip (common party practice). Safe rules:

Allergens

Some customers react badly to certain foods. Pastries often contain wheat (gluten), eggs, milk and nuts (groundnut). As a foreign guide, UK law lists 14 allergens that must be declared, including fish, crustaceans (such as shrimp) and peanuts, and says each must be emphasised in the ingredient list. No Ghana rule for allergens in served food was found for this manual. Good practice: keep an allergen card for each product, and answer honestly when a customer asks. Never guess.

Check yourself

1. In the chiffon method, why do you grease only the bottom of the tin?
2. When is mealy pastry better than flaky?
3. Why is American buttercream a poor choice for an outdoor party in the dry season?

Competency standard

Range. A small event of 50–150 guests (real or practice). Evidence. Enquiry form; quantity sheet; quote; timeline; temperature log; feedback.

The FDA and events

The FDA asked organisers of food fairs, weekend markets, exhibitions and concerts to admit only vendors with valid Food Hygiene Permits. Its code covers outdoor and event catering and food events. Bring a copy of your permit to every event.

Steps: from enquiry to quote

1. Enquiry form: client's name and phone; date and time; venue (kitchen? water? power? shade?); number of guests (adults and children); budget; type of event; menu wishes; dietary needs (no pork, vegetarian, allergies); service style (buffet, plated, packed boxes).
2. Visit the venue if you can: where will you hold food hot? Where will guests wash hands? Where does waste go?
3. Menu: choose dishes you have cooked many times. Mix one rice, one swallow or bread, one protein, one vegetable or salad, drinks, and maybe small chops.
4. Quantities: use your own portion weights (Level 1 Unit 6). For planning, one guide suggests 170 g of mince per person for pies, 180–200 g of fish fillet, and that a 1.5 kg whole chicken feeds 4. Buffet guests take more than plated guests, so add a margin for buffets (the author's advice).
5. Cost: list every ingredient, gas or charcoal, disposables, transport, helpers' pay, hire of chafing dishes, tables or tents.
6. Quote: price per head and total; what is included; deposit and when the balance is due; what happens if guest numbers change or the event is cancelled. Put it in writing (WhatsApp is fine) and ask the client to confirm.

The event timeline (example for a 1 pm lunch)

Transport hot and cold

The FDA code says food carried from a kitchen must be in sealed containers that keep it at the right temperature, at or below 5 °C for cold food or above 60 °C for hot food, in a vehicle that can hold those temperatures. Fill insulated carriers to the top (less air, less heat loss), pre-heat them with hot water, and pack cold boxes with plenty of ice (the author's tips).

Serving safely at the event

Leftovers

Leftover food that stayed hot above 60 °C or cold below 5 °C and was never put on a guest table can be cooled fast and stored (Unit 2). Food that sat in the danger zone for more than 2 hours, or was on the buffet line, should be thrown away. Agree with the client beforehand who takes leftovers and how; many clients ask to take them home. Explain the 2-hour rule.

Check yourself

1. What should an enquiry form record? Name five things.
2. At what temperatures must food be transported?
3. Why should you not pour fresh rice on top of the old rice in a buffet tray?

Competency standard

Range. A street stand, kiosk or table-top at a lawful site. Evidence. Stand checklist; inspection role-play; daily cash and temperature records.

What the rules ask of a stand

• A Street Food Vending Permit from the FDA; the form also asks where your food is prepared, so your kitchen must be clean too.
• A change of kitchen or vending location is its own application on the form, and the code says a permit is invalid when the holder, location or type of operation changes.
• Food on display must be protected by packaging, covers or display cases.
• Condiments for customers should be in single portions, except ketchup and non-risky sauces in their original bottle or a pour dispenser. Pepper sauce and shito in an open shared bowl are a risk.
• In April 2026 the Ghana Tourism Authority began inspecting and renewing licences of food, beverage and entertainment enterprises in Greater Accra, including chop bars, food vendors, snack bars, fast-food joints and outdoor catering services. Whether and when the GTA licenses small street vendors in the Western Region was not verified: ask the GTA Western Regional office.

Steps: set up the stand

You need: table or kiosk, shade (umbrella or canopy), glass or mesh display case, covered food warmers or insulated pots, ice chest with thermometer, handwashing bucket with tap, soap, paper towels, covered foot-pedal bin, clean serving tools, a bowl of clean water for tools, aprons and hairnets, permit and medical certificates in a plastic sleeve, price board.

1. Clean and sanitise the table and display (Unit 1).
2. Set up the handwashing station first; fill it with safe water.
3. Put food in covered containers; hot food in warmers; check above 60 °C.
4. Cold items in the ice chest; check below 5 °C.
5. Put the bin with a lid at the side, away from food.
6. Hang the permit where customers can see it.
7. Write the first temperatures in the log.

Serve hygienically

Money at the stand

Start each day with a float (small change). At the end of the day, cash in the box should equal float + cash sales. MoMo payments are checked against your MoMo statement, not your box.

Inspection role-play

An FDA or Assembly officer may ask: "Show me your permit and medical certificates. Where do you wash your hands? What is the temperature of this food? Where was it cooked? How do you store raw meat? Where does your waste go?" Practise answering calmly, with your records ready.

Check yourself

1. What happens to your FDA permit if you move your stand to a new place?
2. Why are open shared bowls of pepper sauce a risk?
3. How do you work out the cash that should be in the box at the end of the day?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own planned food business. Evidence. Site report; price list; one month's records (real or practice); marketing kit; growth plan.

Two locations: where you cook, where you sell

• The kitchen must meet the FDA code: not a bedroom or living room, away from refuse dumps and open drains, with water, a toilet that does not open into the kitchen, and washable surfaces.
• The sales point should be where customers pass: schools, lorry stations, markets and offices, on a lawful site, and with the Assembly's permit for your category.
• Takoradi ideas: the STMA weekend on-street market at Ahenfie Hotel, Port Quarters, Baptist and Zenith; offices and banks around Market Circle and Harbour Road for lunch delivery; schools for breakfast and break-time snacks (the author's suggestions).

Business ideas and ingenuity at Level 2

Price per head and per menu

Use your costing (Level 1 Unit 6; event quote in Unit 5). Price tiers help: a Bronze menu (rice, stew, one protein, water), a Silver menu (adds salad and small chops) and a Gold menu (adds a second protein, dessert and soft drinks). Each tier keeps the same margin but gives the client a choice (the author's advice). Review prices when input prices move: in 2024 a baker reported flour at GH¢660 a bag and sugar at GH¢720, both far above earlier years.

Simple records for a food business

The hub's Money Skills Level 2 manual teaches the cash book and profit in more detail.

Hiring a helper

If you hire, pay at least the national daily minimum wage of GH¢21.77 (2026), about GH¢587.79 for 27 days. Every helper who touches food needs a medical certificate before starting and the food handler's test every year, and training in food safety suited to the job. Level 3 covers contracts, SSNIT and tax.

Market yourself at Level 2

• Photos that sell: natural light, a clean plate, the same background; show your clean kitchen and your permit.
• WhatsApp Business catalogue with prices, and a status post every morning of what is cooking.
• Google Business Profile so people find your kitchen or stand on Maps and leave reviews.
• Neatness wins: customers choose vendors on neatness.
• Referrals: a free drink for a customer who brings a new office order (example offer).
• Portfolio: a photo album of every event and cake, with the client's permission.

Find money to grow

• Savings and susu groups. Government is working to link savings groups to banks.
• Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA): programmes for small businesses and Business Advisory Centres in Takoradi, Shama, Effia-Kwesimintsim, Mpohor and Ahanta West. Ask what is open.
• Assemblies' disability fund: it rose to 5% in 2026 and aims at skills training, assistive devices and start-up capital.
• Never pay a fee to "guarantee" a grant or loan.

Accessibility

The Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) requires accessible public places, but an audit found only 14% of the public places checked had any retrofitting. In 2025 STMA gave deep freezers and ice chests to persons with disabilities. Workable tasks for many persons with disabilities: dough mixing and shaping, cake decorating, packing small chops and chin-chin, taking orders on WhatsApp, cashier work, stock records, and running a seated stand. Adjustments (the author's suggestions): a work bench 71–86 cm high with knee space; talking or large-display scales and thermometers; picture recipe cards and cleaning schedules; a vibrating or light timer for deaf workers; a ramp and wide aisles; and a buddy for hot oil and heavy pots, since some disabilities raise the risk of burns.

Check yourself

1. What is the 2026 national daily minimum wage?
2. Name three records a food business should keep every day.
3. Why do price tiers help when you quote for events?

1. Name four things the FDA code says about walls, floors and equipment.
2. How many workers may share one toilet and handwashing facility under the code?
3. What is the difference between cleaning and sanitising?
4. Within what time should cooked rice be cooled, and how?
5. To what temperature must you reheat food, and how often may you do it?
6. What dough weight do you scale for a 400 g loaf, and why?
7. Name two causes of a cake that sank.
8. When do you use flaky pastry and when mealy?
9. At what temperatures must food be transported to an event?
10. What happens to your vending permit if you change your kitchen or location?
11. Float GH¢50, total sales GH¢600, MoMo GH¢200. How much cash should be in the box?
12. Name two places in or near Takoradi where a food seller could trade lawfully, and one place they cannot.

Best next reads: the FDA's Code of Hygienic Practice for Food Service Establishments; Introduction to Baking and Pastries (LibreTexts); the hub's Food Processing and Cold Vending Level 2 and Money Skills Level 2 manuals.

What this module does not cover: a full food safety management system, bakery production planning, supervising a team, contracts and tenders, registering your business, taxes and full accounts (see Level 3); packaged products and product registration (see Food Processing and Cold Vending).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.