ACF Today, Vol. III, No. 25
November 21, 2005

In this edition . . .

• Ford Motor Company Pulls 'Chef' Ad
• ACF Culinary Team USA Wins Gold Medal in Basel
• eCulinary Launch Date Nov. 30, 2005
• ACF Chef & Child Foundation Now Accepting Little Oscar Award Nominations
• Next Exam Date for Master Chef Certification Scheduled
• AAC Application Deadline Approaching
• Ongoing Clearance Sale at ACF E-Store
  

Ford Motor Company Pulls 'Chef' Ad

The American Culinary Federation would like to thank Ford Motor Company for removing the 'Chef" ad from the national TV rotation. Ford spokesperson Jim Cain stated that the company didn't mean to offend anyone, and the ad has been removed from the Ford dealers marketing tool-kit as well as national broadcast. ACF commends Ford for rectifying the injustice, and appreciates the expediency with which the commercial was removed.

Thank you to all of the ACF members and culinary industry members who supported the removal of the ad. Your concerns were heard, and you made a difference!

ACF Culinary Team USA Earns Gold Medal in Basel

ACF Culinary Team USA won a gold medal in cold food on Sunday, Nov. 20, in the 2005 Salon Culinaire Mondial competition in Basel, Switzerland. The Salon Culinaire Mondial, which occurs once every six years, is one of the most important international culinary-arts competitions for national teams of chefs. This year's event features teams from Canada, Czechia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Wales and the United States.

In Basel, ACF Culinary Team USA boasts three certified master chefs, of which there are only 60 in the nation: team captain Edward G. Leonard, CMC, AAC, executive chef of Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; Joachim Buchner, CMC, executive chef of Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Md.; and Russell Scott, CMC, executive chef, Isleworth Country Club, Windermere, Fla.. Other members of the team include U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™ 2005 Richard Rosendale, CC, sous chef at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; Patricia Nash, pastry chef at Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y; and Jamie Keating, CCC, executive chef at Milliken & Company and chef/owner of Gourmet Events in LaGrange, Ga.

The team will compete in the hot-food competition on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Please visit our Web site for continuous coverage. Congratulations to ACF Culinary Team USA members on their outstanding win!

eCulinary Set to Launch Nov. 30, 2005

ACF eCulinary Professional Development Institute is a new, developing, professional-development program offering exciting online educational opportunities for culinarians at all stages in their professional careers. ACF developed the eCulinary Professional Development Institute in collaboration with Thomson Delmar Learning.

eCulinary provides professional development resources that are relevant to your culinary career in an easy-to-navigate online format. Included in the first phase is:

1. Monthly The National Culinary Review quizzes that can be used to earn educational credit for ACF certification
2. Practice written certification exams utilizing similar test banks from the actual tests to help familiarize certification candidates with the types of questions and answers on actual exams, and scoring that will help determine areas of strength and areas that need additional study.

The National Culinary Review quizzes for Educational Credit:
eCulinary Institute offers monthly National Culinary Review quizzes that allow members an alternative means for earning educational credit. Users who pass the online quizzes will not only earn credit but will be able to print a certificate of completion directly from the eCulinary Institute. These certificates can be used as documentation for ACF initial and renewal certification packets (two continuing-education hours are awarded for each passing score; only one quiz per month permitted).

Practice Certification Test Bank:
Applicants for certification will be able to purchase 30-day unlimited access to practice test banks that will help them prepare for ACF's official certification tests. These practice exams will automatically be graded to provide culinarians with immediate direction on where they need to focus their studies in order to pass the official exam.

The second phase begins in April 2006, when ACF will launch the beginning of a series of instructor-moderated courses on cooking and baking fundamentals, and certification tutorials for cooking, baking, administrative and education professionals.

For more information on eCulinary, please contact ACF Director of Educational Development Michael Baskette, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, at 800-624-9458.

ACF Chef & Child Foundation Accepting Applications for Little Oscar Award

The ACF Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) Little Oscar awards recognize those ACF chapters that put forward an exceptional effort to advancing the mission of the ACF Chef & Child Foundation in its fight against childhood hunger and malnutrition. Applications may be downloaded from the ACF Web site at www.acfchefs.org/ccf/awards/liloscar.html. The deadline for submitting applications is Jan. 15, 2006. The national Little Oscar award winner will be selected from among the four regional winners at the ACF National Convention.

*In order to select a winner in time for the ACF Western Region Conference, beginning on Feb. 2, 2006, all chapters in the Western Region must submit their CCF Little Oscar Award applications by Dec. 31, 2005.

ACF Announces Certified Master Chef Exam Schedule

The next exam date for master chef certification has been scheduled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Feb. 4-11, 2006.

If you are interested in taking the exam, please notify the Education Department at ACF National Office. If you have already applied for the master chef exam in the past, you should receive a notification from the ACF officially inviting you to the February event. Please notify ACF as soon as possible should you wish to reserve a space for the exam. At least 50% of all due fees will be required to secure your place at the event. In order to pre-qualify for the master chef exam, you must already be a certified executive chef or certified executive pastry chef.

If you have any questions regarding your fee balance, please call 800-624-9458. We wish you the best of luck, and look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

AAC Application Deadline Nearing

ACF members who wish to apply for induction in 2006 into the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of ACF, should submit their applications and all materials to the AAC National Office by Dec. 31, 2005.

Requirements mandatory for consideration in the honor society include:

• must be certified as an ACF master chef, master pastry chef, executive chef, executive pastry chef and/or culinary educator for a minimum of two years
• must be in the culinary profession a minimum of 15 years, 10 of which must be at the executive chef or culinary educator level
• must be an ACF member in good standing for a minimum of 10 years
• must have attended four ACF regional conferences and/or national conventions within any 10-year period
• must fulfill a minimum of 10 of 20 elective attainable goals
• all requirements/goals must be met the year prior to induction

For more information or to request an application, please contact Laura Howell in the AAC National Office at 800-624-9458, ext. 102.

Check Out the Clearance Sale at the ACF E-Store!
Are you looking to update your wardrobe with new ACF clothing, or are you interested in other ACF merchandise? If the answer is "yes," then go online to the ACF E-Store. The E-store is offering great clearance merchandise at extremely low prices in order to make room for new inventory. Plus, ACF Culinary Team USA cookbooks are still available at the special price of two for $30 (plus shipping). So, visit the online E-store at www.acfchefs.org today!

***ADVERTISEMENT***

PROCHEF CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

A Career Development Path for Foodservice Professionals
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the world's premier culinary college, and the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the nation's foremost organization of chefs, have joined forces to create the ProChef Certification program for foodservice professionals.

Why Certification?
ProChef Certification represents the only certification program for chefs based on validating specific skills. Designed to verify and acknowledge the achievements of culinary professionals throughout all career stages, the CIA and ACF's industry-driven ProChef Certification identifies the core competencies imperative for building an effective and rewarding foodservice career, including Culinary Arts, Personnel Management, and Financial Administration.

The CIA's widespread reputation for excellence in culinary education, coupled with the ACF's national recognition, will give foodservice professionals who achieve ProChef Certification the credentials needed to enhance their position, increase their marketability and elevate their appeal to both present and future employers.

Key Benefits for Prochef Certification Applicants:

• ProChef Certification ties the expertise of the CIA with the established and recognized ACF certification program.
• One-on-one professional development advisement is provided to all foodservice professionals in the ProChef Certification program.
• As participants progress through the ProChef Certification, they can focus their development in the following discipline areas: Garde Manger, Asian Cuisine, Mediterranean Cuisine, and Latin American Cuisine.

Take the first step on the path to success-enroll in the ProChef Certification program today!

Visit www.ciaprochef.com or call 800-888-7850 for more information

©2007 American Culinary Federation

Through the ACF Today e-newsletter, the federation will provide members with regular news alerts and timely information on products and services offered by the American Culinary Federation and its partners. If you do not wish to receive the newsletter, please reply to this e-mail with REMOVE in the subject header.