AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Media Contacts:
April 17, 2015 Jessica Ward: (904) 484-0213, jward@acfchefs.net
Jennifer Manley: (904) 484-0247, jmanley@acfchefs.net
Central Chefs, Foodservice Professionals and Culinary Students Honored at American Culinary Federation Conference
St. Augustine, Fla., April 17, 2015—Chefs, students and foodservice professionals from the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Central and Western Regions gathered for professional development and culinary trend seminars at ChefConnect: Indy. The conference took place at Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, April 12-14.
Conference topics included food, wine and beer pairings, edible technology, whole hog butchery, best practices for food allergies and GMOs. Attendees enjoyed hands-on workshops, culinary demonstrations, seminars and networking opportunities.
Presenters included Thomas England, CEC, culinary instructor, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana; Patrice Caillot, chef instructor, The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College at City Colleges of Chicago, and Jensen Cummings, partner, Small Batch Creative and founder/chef, Heroes Like Us. For a full list of presenters, visit www.acfchefs.org/ChefConnectIndy.
Regional awards were presented to Central Region chefs and students during the conference.
The following ACF Central Region award winners will compete for their respective national titles at Cook. Craft. Create. ACF National Convention & Show, Orlando, Florida, July 30-Aug.3.
ACF Central Region Chef Educator of the Year
Carl Conway, CEC, clinical chef instructor, Purdue University School of Hospitality/Tourism Management, West Lafayette, Indiana; ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
ACF Central Region Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award
Bernard Urban, CEC, AAC, HOF, posthumous (1929-2014)
ACF Central Region Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by MINOR’S®
Timothy Prefontaine, CEC, executive chef, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas; Texas Chefs Association
ACF Central Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers Students representing Kendall College, Chicago
ChefConnect: Indy award recipients in ACF’s Central Region listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions to ACF, goodwill in their communities and/or culinary excellence.
ACF Central Region Chapter of the Year
ACF Minneapolis Chefs Chapter
ACF Central Region Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.
ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.
ACF Chefs of Northwest Indiana
ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association
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ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association
ACF Minneapolis Chefs Chapter
ACF Texas Panhandle Chefs de Cuisine
ACF Central Region President’s Medallion
Brian Lorge, HAAC, president/CEO, Lorge Marketing Services, LLC, Bolingbrook, Illinois; ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association
Randall Smith, CEC, executive chef, Walnut Creek Country Club, South Lyon, Michigan; ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association
Mark Webster, CEC, CCE, AAC, executive chef, Hy-Vee, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association
ACF Central Region Cutting Edge Award
Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE, chef instructor/associate professor, Kendall College, Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.
Dwight Evans II, executive chef, Covenant Village of Northbrook, Northbrook, Illinois; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.
Peter Gebauer, executive chef, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, Milwaukee; ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.
ACF Central Region Achievement of Excellence Awards
American Harvest Restaurant, Schoolcraft College, Livonia, Michigan
Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit
Joe Vicari Restaurant Group, Detroit
The Root Restaurant & Bar, White Lake, Michigan
Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, Michigan
ACF World of Thanks
ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
More than 400 chefs, students and foodservice professionals attended ChefConnect: Indy, hosted by ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter. The conference was a part of ACF’s Signature Series, which provides professional development for chefs and culinary students through educational programs, conferences and competitions. Learn more about the conference at www.acfchefs.org/ChefConnectIndy, Facebook.com/ACFChefs or on Twitter @ACFChefs.
Sponsors of ChefConnect: Indy: Allen Brothers, Inc.; American Technical Publishers; Canadian Lentils; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Dow AgroSciences; Ecolab®; Fortune Fish; Jones Dairy Farm; Miller Coors; MINOR’S®; National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Par-Way Tryson, makers of Vegalene; Performance Foodservice – Fox River; Plugrá® European-Style Butter; Sartori Company; Sysco®; Unilever Food Solutions; Valrhona; Villeroy & Boch; Vitamix® Corporation; Western Region State Beef Councils; Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
About the American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the standard of excellence for chefs in North America. With more than 17,500 members spanning nearly 200 chapters nationwide, ACF is the leading culinary association offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States, with the Certified Executive Chef®, Certified Sous Chef®, Certified Executive Pastry Chef® and Certified Culinary Educator® designations accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org. Find ACF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACFChefs and on Twitter @ACFChefs.
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