I. On Membership, official meetings and rules of proxy

A) Membership is not limited or restricted, and any gentle may join the Guild simply by participating with the following exceptions:

1) No minor under the age of 10 in the kitchen facilities without:
a) The permission of the head cook.
b) The active supervision of a parent/guardian who is a member
c) A waiver signed by a parent/guardian and on file. This must be the standard minor waiver. If the meeting/class is at an event, the waiver signed at the troll will be sufficient.
2) No minor between the ages of 10 and 17 without:
a) The permission of the head cook.
b) A waiver signed by a parent/guardian and on file. This must be the standard minor waiver. If the meeting/class is at an event, the waiver signed at the troll will be sufficient.

B) There will be no required dues or other criteria for membership, other than an interest in cooking, baking, and other related activities, which may include growing period plants, making period non-alcoholic beverages, creating subtleties, building period baking structures, overseeing animal husbandry, etc.

C) A person may become a member of this guild by making their intent known to any officer of the guild and meeting the membership requirements.

D) Membership may be revoked or denied through unanimous consent of the five Guild officers after consultation of the Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences and/or Crown as needed. If at any time there are not five guild officers, than a unanimous vote of all officers will be required.

1) A member removed through this process may appeal to the Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences and/or Crown as needed, if they believe they have been treated unjustly.
2) A Guild member may sever their membership at any time.

E) All guild business pertaining to guild structure (such as 
amendment to these Bylaws) will be voted on by a two-thirds 
majority, at official meetings. A Minimum of Three Officers of the 
Guild must be present and on financial matters, the Reeve is mandatory.

1) Meetings will be held at a variety of venues across the Kingdom of Atenveldt.  
2) A meeting agenda should be published in the newsletter and on appropriate email groups whenever possible to allow members time for due consideration of the issues and a chance to vote in writing if they are unable to attend a meeting.
3) Each member represented at the meeting will be entitled to one 
vote on each issue.
4) Any member who is unable to attend a meeting is encouraged to submit their votes in writing; hand-delivered, e-mailed or mailed to an officer, or by written proxy to any other member of the guild. Votes received after the meetings are null and void.
5) All guild business not explicitly mentioned above (such as eating and discussing cookery) may take place at unofficial meetings anywhere and anytime.

F) Members should be encouraged to share their creativity and enthusiasm by teaching, submitting material to the newsletter, and developing new ideas for guild activities.

1) Members will be asked to submit copies of recipes/sources used in Guild activities to the Historian for archival purposes. All original recipes will be credited.

G) While donations are accepted to help defray guild costs, they are 
not required for membership.

H) Guild Members are encouraged to wear hats with the device of the Cook’s Guild on it. These will be made available through the 
Regalia officer.

I) A ranking system has been developed in the Cook’s Guild. It is not mandatory nor required that a member enters the ranking system, and this does not give one member more authority over the other.  There are four levels in which a member can achieve in the ranking system: Student, Cook, Journeyman Cook and Master Cook. In the next section, requirements and advancement for each level will be outlined.


II Levels of Advancement within the Cooks’ Guild of Atenveldt

A) The Ranking System will consist of four levels being Student, 
Cook, Journeyman Cook and Master Cook.
1) The requirements for each level are separate and the criteria 
are not accumulated.
2) There is no set time limit in achieving goals. Each member is encouraged to pace themselves according to their desires.
3) A booklet will be issued and will remain with the member until 
completion. It will not be the responsibility of the guild to maintain any booklet. If the booklet is lost, stolen or damage, the member may get another one, but it will be their responsibility to retrieve lost information.


B) Student: This level is representative of a general interest in the art of cooking and the related disciplines. Below are the 
requirements to achieve this rank within the guild.

1) Attendance: Must attend at least two meetings per calendar year.
2) Study: Either study at least one hour with other guild members or attending a recognized SCA cooking class or do a two-page research paper within the last six months.
3) Adapting: One recipe from an original source or translation to 
include copies of the original recipe and its source, the adapted 
recipe, notes and observations on the process.
4) Cooking: Must serve on the staff of at least two feast or guild recognized activity (such as the Hospitality corps, or a luncheon) in either the position of a server or kitchen help.

C) Cook: This level is representative with an average level of 
understanding of cooking and period food preparation.

1) Attendance: Must attend at least one meeting per quarter.
2) Study: Must study at least five hours with other guild members within the last six months. Must present one paper to the guild in a specific area of interest to include documentation of period information, notes and observations from personal experience and samples of the item.
3) Adapting: Must adapt and document three different types of recipes from original sources or translations to include copies of the original recipes and their sources, the adapting recipe, notes and observations on the process and samples of the dishes. Must present a “paper” feast of at least three courses.
4) Teaching: Teach at least one culinary class in an SCA surrounding such as Kingdom Collegiums, a fighter practice or a guild meeting.
5) Cooking: Must serve as an assistant head cook for one feast of 25 gentles or more. Must also enter at least one period food entry in a judged Arts and Science Competition.


D) Journeyman Cook: This level is representative with an above average level of understanding of cooking and period food preparation.

1) Attendance: Must attend at least one meeting per quarter.
2) Study: Must study at least five hours with other guild members within the last six months. Must be the mentor to new students for at least three hours within the last six months.
3) Adapting: Must provide the guild with a “paper” feast of at least three removes that is of the same time era and nationality. 
Must provide adapted recipes with original recipes of each course offered in each remove. History of the type of feast is also encouraged (such as a celebration, when, where and why)
4) Teaching: Must teach three culinary classes in an SCA setting to include one kingdom level class and two at barony level or below. Teaching at a shire level is encouraged. Class taught outside the kingdom is accepted and will follow the guidelines above.
5) Cooking: Must plan, budget, staff, purchase, cook and execute a feast. There will be three “blind” judges (the member will not know who they are) that will “grade” the feast. The judges will only participate in the final outcome and will be given a rating sheet that will be turned into the Guild mistress who will in turn give them to the member.
6) Advancement: Must present a food handler’s card that is currant or must take the test administer by the education officer (this will not get the member a food handler’s card). The purpose of this is for the basic education that a food handler’s card contains such as food temperature, sanitation etc. It is not mandatory to have the card to advance.

E) Master Cook: this level is representative of a comprehensive knowledge and skill of period cooking and food.

1) Attendance: Attend at least one meeting per quarter. Must attend one meeting per year in order to maintain the level of Master Cook. If the member does not attend a meeting they will be considered in an inactive status.
2) Study: Must study at least 10 hours with other guild members and mentor new members for at least five hours within the last six months.
3) Adapting: Adapt and document at least ten different recipes from original sources or translations to include copies of the original recipe and its source. Also included is the redacted recipe, notes and observations on the process and if possible, a sample of the dish.
4) Teaching: Must teach at least four classes, two which must be at kingdom level and two at barony level or below. Each class must be within an SCA setting and must be on different subjects. Classes can be taught outside kingdom and will fall within the category as stated above.
5) Cooking: Serve as head cook for at least two feasts for 50 gentles or more, one must use documented period cooking and one must be at kingdom level. Must enter at least three period food entries in a judged arts and science competition, and one must be of kingdom level.
6) Advancement: In order to advance, the booklet must be turned over to the Education Officer or Guild Mistress for review by the officer core and the Kingdom Minster of arts and science. The member will be given the rank of master cook in a kingdom court.  
This is not an official award, but a recognized of works accomplished.


III. On officers: 

The four major officers are appointed by the Guild Mistress / Master for terms of two years.
A) Officers may appoint deputies whenever appropriate. Officers and their deputies should be present at official meetings.
B) While all officers are not required to attend every meeting, 
Officers must attend a minimum of four meetings a year to maintain Officer status
C) Any member may be nominated or self nominated for an officer position within the guild.
D) Nominations should be submitted in writing to the Guild Mistress /Master at least 60 days before the office is vacated.
E) One of every officer’s duties is to facilitate the collection of new member contact information.
F) This should include SCA and mundane names, mailing address, and telephone number whenever possible.
G) Information, which the member prefers withheld from the membership list publication, should also be indicated at this time. 
I. This contact information is intended to facilitate communication within the Guild. Each member has the responsibility to correct and update this information whenever necessary.
H) When the Guild Mistress/ Master and three officers consider an officer to be in gross misconduct of their office, and they have exhausted all reasonable efforts to change that officer's conduct, the Guild Mistress/ Master will have the authority to remove that officer from duty and appoint an acting replacement.
I) An officer removed through this process may appeal to the Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences and/or Crown as needed, if they believe they have been treated unjustly.
J) When four officers consider the Guild Mistress / Master to be in gross misconduct of their office, and they have exhausted all reasonable efforts to change their conduct, they should appeal directly to the crown for intervention.
i) They should provide the crown with complete information relevant to the misconduct and the actions, which they have already taken.
ii) Should the crown decide to replace Guild Mistress / Master, the remaining officers should offer suggestions regarding replacements.
iii) An officer removed through this process may appeal to the Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences and/or Crown as needed, if they believe they have been treated unjustly.


IV) The Cooks’ Guild of Atenveldt newsletter will include:

A) Articles, drawings, and other information relating to period foods
B) Materials regarding the planning, preparation, serving, eating, and documentation of medieval foods.
C) Guild activities, meetings, and meeting agendas will also be listed.
D) The needs of feast-o-crats and private cooks should both be addressed wherever possible.
E) Provision should be made for letters of comment
F) An emphasis on primary sources should be encouraged. All sources used should be credited, and all copyright laws must be observed.
G) While the chronicler is responsible for the editing of this newsletter, the members submitting material are primarily responsible for the substance of that information.
H) Donations will be accepted to defray the expenses for this newsletter.


V) Provisions for Amendment of these Bylaws

A) An announcement for a change in the bylaws should be posted on the Aten Cooks Guild list. This announcement should include the time, date and place of the meeting in which discussion will take place and the content of the amendment.
B) The proposed amendment may be debated at the meeting, and then a vote will be taken of the members represented.
C) Should the proposed amendment receive a two-thirds majority approval, and the kingdom Minster of Arts and Science approves, the amended and finalized Bylaws will then be in effect.