Press Release

ACF Announces 2008 Achievement of Excellence Award Winners

St. Augustine, Fla., July 8, 2008 - The American Culinary Federation (ACF) will honor sixteen establishments nationwide with Achievement of Excellence Awards at the 2008 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, July 14-17.

Achievement of Excellence Awards recognizes foodservice establishments that exemplify a commitment to excellence in their area. Criteria for the award included being in operation for at least five consecutive years, nomination by an ACF chapter, member or individual in the foodservice profession, and being a recognized industry leader.

Fine Dining category
Desmond Albany Hotel, Scrimshaw Restaurant, Albany, N.Y.
Hugo, Oakley, Ohio
Pazzaluna Urban Italian Restaurant, a division of Morrissey Hospitality Co., St. Paul, Minn.
Tempo Restaurant, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Summit at Midwest Culinary Institute, Cincinnati

Casual Dining category
River House Tea Room, Gruene, Texas
The Pelican's Reef, Cincinnati

Chain Operator or Restaurant Concept
Market Street, Plano, Texas

Culinary Program Full Service Restaurant Facility
Dining Room at Kendall College, Chicago

Hotel or Hotel Restaurant
InterContinental Houston, Houston

Pastry Shop/Bakery
Dessert Dreams, Inc., Irving, Texas

Private Clubs or Resorts
Brookside Country Club, Canton, Ohio
Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.
Valley Country Club, Aurora, Colo.

Restaurant Concept Company
Tommy Guns Garage, Inc., Chicago

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; Bakewell Culinary Powders; Barber Foods; Belgioioso Cheese Inc.; Berkshire Meat Products, LLC; Buckhead Beef Company; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Cleveland Range, LLC; Contessa Premium Foods; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal; 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; The King Arthur Flour Company; La Brea Bakery; 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; New Mexico Department of Agriculture; 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 Foods; Snake River Farms; Splenda®; Sweet Street Desserts; 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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Contact: Patricia Carroll
Communications Director
(800) 624-9458, ext. 147
pcarroll@acfchefs.net

Leah Spellman
Public Relations Specialist
(800) 624-9458, ext. 113
lspellman@acfchefs.net

• ACF Announces 2008 Achievement of Excellence Award Winners