Press Release

Western Culinary Institute's Culinary Program Recognized as Exemplary by ACFFAC at 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference

St. Augustine, Fla., April 22, 2008 - The postsecondary culinary program at Western Culinary Institute, Portland, Ore., was recognized by the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC) as exemplary at the 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference held at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, Salt Lake City, April 19-21.

The ACFFAC, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), provides regulatory oversight of post-secondary institutions. The primary function of the ACFFAC is programmatic accreditation. This specialized accreditation is a voluntary action on the part of the institution that requires curriculum, faculty, resources, support staff, and organizational structure all meet or exceed quality standards.

Culinary or foodservice programs that are accredited by the ACFFAC have been reviewed against established standards. These programs undergo a self-evaluation and report their findings to the ACFFAC. The ACFFAC then authorizes a fact-finding team to visit the school to verify compliance with the standards. The self-evaluation, the report of the fact-finding team, and the program response to the fact-finding report, are studied. The ACFFAC then grants accreditation to programs that meet the published standards.

To qualify as an exemplary program upon renewal of ACFFAC accreditation, a program will have had to have been in full compliance the last two site visitation reports. The visiting team determines that the program has met the ACFFAC standards in eight required areas: eligibility; program mission and goals; organization and administration; faculty and staff; curriculum; facilities; student services; and assessment. Exemplary programs are accredited for seven years.

Chosen for its unique combination of natural recreation and metropolitan attractions, Salt Lake City was the location of the 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by the ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter, Inc. Bringing more than 400 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the conference provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative business seminars, forums, clinics and cutting-edge demonstrations. In addition, the conference offered participants the opportunity to learn about the latest cooking trends and techniques.

Sponsors of the 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference and national award sponsors include: Barber Foods; Buckhead Beef Company; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Contessa Premium Foods; Custom Culinary, Inc.; GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings; Guittard Chocolate Co.; La Brea Bakery; Lactalis Foodservice, Inc; Lobster Select; Mann's Fresh Vegetables; MARS Foodservices; Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC; Nestlé Professional; New Mexico Department of Agriculture; NEWCHEF Fashions; Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats; Pearson Prentice Hall; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Seaboard Foods; Splenda®; SYSCO Food Services-Intermountain; Tyson Food Service; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Unilever Foodsolutions; Utah's Own; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With 20,000 members spanning more than 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and also holds the presidium for the World Association of Chefs Societies, the largest international network of chef associations with more than eight million members globally. For more information, please visit www.acfchefs.org.

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Photos can be obtained by contacting Patricia Carroll at pcarroll@acfchefs.net or by calling (800) 624-9458, ext. 147.

Contact: Patricia Carroll
Communications Director
(800) 624-9458, ext. 147
pcarroll@acfchefs.net

• Western Culinary Institute's Culinary Program Recognized as Exemplary by ACFFAC at 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference