Press Release

Students Compete for the ACF Student Culinarian of the Year National Title at the 2008 ACF National Convention

St. Augustine, Fla., June 18, 2008 - The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., hosts its annual ACF Student Culinarian of the Year national competition, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc., at the 2008 ACF National Convention, "Achieving Culinary Excellence; Cultivate, Innovate, Educate," held at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, July 14-17.

The late Baron H. Galand, CEC, AAC, HOF, established the ACF Student Culinarian of the Year award in 1987 to help student members establish their position within ACF. The award recognizes an up-and-coming student who possesses a high degree of professionalism, culinary skill and passion for the culinary arts.

This year, students from Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and New York will go head-to-head for the title. Students were first nominated by an ACF chapter for their ability to cook, level of skill, strong understanding of cooking fundamentals and classical cooking foundation. Then students in each of the four ACF regions competed at the regional level. Now, one winner from each region will compete for the national title during the annual trade show, held at MGM's Grand Garden Arena, July 15-16. There, students will participate in a competition and prepare a pre-selected classical menu for a panel of distinguished judges who will decide the winner.

ACF Student Culinarian of the Year candidates:
ACF Central Region Student Culinarian of the Year
Ender "Andy" Oktayuren of Flossmoor, Ill., is a culinary-arts student at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill., and a member of ACF Louis Joliet Chapter. He would like to travel and cook in different countries to expand his knowledge in the field of cooking. He is a keen culinary competitor, and his goal is to try out for ACF Culinary Team USA in the future.

ACF Northeast Region Student Culinarian of the Year
Nicholas Hernandez of Hawley, Pa., is a student at State University of New York At Delhi, Delhi, N.Y., and a member of ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskills Mountains. He currently works at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. He was president of the culinary club at his university, Escoffier Club, 2007, and received several awards while pursuing a bachelor's degree in culinary arts.

ACF Southeast Region Student Culinarian of the Year
JohnMichael Lynch of Vinnings, Ga., is an apprentice and line cook at Cherokee Town & Country Club, Atlanta, and a member of ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc. Lynch served as an apprentice at the 2007 U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™ competition. He has been a culinary competitor since 2003. He competed in the Georgia State Competition as a member of the ACF Atlanta Junior Hot Food Team that won a silver-medal. He is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.

ACF Western Region Student Culinarian of the Year
Lindsay Kinateder of Denver is corporate research and development chef at Leprino Foods Company, Denver, and a member of ACF Colorado Chefs Association. She holds associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts and a bachelor's degree in nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, Denver. She has captained three culinary-competition teams and has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Restaurants of North America National Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2005, and Johnson & Wales University's Pastry Student of the Year in 2005-2006.

At the 2008 ACF National Convention, 2,000 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals will attend this four-day event. There will be more than 100 educational seminars, culinary demos, networking and social functions, culinary competitions, meal events and more. For information, or to attend, visit www.acfchefs.org or call (800) 624-9458.

Sponsors of the 2008 ACF National Convention are: American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; Buckhead Beef Company; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Cargill Salt; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Cleveland Range, LLC; Contessa Premium Foods; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Dow AgroSciences; Ecolab; Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; Fortessa, Inc.; General Mills; GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings; Guittard Chocolate Co.; The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes; Johnson & Wales University; Lantmannen Unibake USA; Lavazza, Italy's Favourite Coffee; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Mann's Fresh Vegetables; McCain Foods USA; Meat & Livestock Australia; Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC; Nestlé Professional; NEWCHEF Fashions; Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats; Pearson Prentice Hall; Perfect Purée of Napa Valley; RC Fine Foods; RH Forschner by Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Saputo; Snake River Farms; Splenda®; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; Ventura Foods, LLC; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 21,500 members spanning 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. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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Media is invited to attend. Call Patricia Carroll at (800) 624-9458, ext. 147 to register for press credentials.

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

• Students Compete for the ACF Student Culinarian of the Year National Title at the 2008 ACF National Convention