ACF Culinary Youth Team USA

Culinary Team USA is preparing to face more than 40 other countries in the IKA "culinary Olympics" in Erfurt, Germany this October. Help them bring home the gold.

Left to right: Paul Kampff, CEC, team coach; Kevin Storm, CEC, team coach; Kevin Taylor; Mike Bush; Wayne Sieve; John Gelineau; Mike Palazzola; Craig Meyer, CEC, team coordinator

The 2007 ACF National Convention served as the location for the finals of the ACF Culinary Youth Team USA culinary competition to determine the new youth team. ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, Inc., comprised of Michael Bush, John Gelineau, Mike Palazzola, Wayne Sieve and Kevin Taylor, was named the new youth team. They will compete alongside the ACF Culinary Team USA national and regional teams at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung International Culinary Art Competition, known as the "culinary Olympics," in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 19-22, 2008.

Steven Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC

Steven Jilleba, ACF Culinary Youth Team USA manager, is a corporate executive chef with Unilever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill. He has served as the youth team manager since 2001. Before joining Unilever, Jilleba was executive chef at Sunset Ridge Country Club, Northfield, Ill. He earned an associate degree at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., graduating with honors.

Jilleba is chair of the ACF Culinary Competition Committee. He has extensive culinary-competition experience, including a gold and three bronze medals as part of the Confrérie de la Chaî des Rô Culinary Team at the 1992 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and two gold medals in the 1988 IKA. He is a member of American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.