Press Release
ACF Culinary Team USA Delivers a Stellar Performance Against the
World's Best at the "culinary Olympics" in Germany
St. Augustine, Fla., November 3, 2008 -
John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC, American Culinary Federation (ACF)
national president announced today that ACF Culinary Team USA delivered
a stellar performance at the Internationale
Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Art
Competition, also known as the "culinary Olympics," Oct. 19-22, in
Erfurt, Germany, garnering eight gold medals, two silver medals and with
all teams placing in the top 10 overall in their competition
categories.
"ACF pride and the cuisine of American chefs was well represented by
the ACF teams," said Edward Leonard, CMC, AAC, ACF Culinary Team USA
manager. "From the regional teams to the military, national and youth
teams, it was shown that American chefs and cooks can compete with the
best."
ACF Culinary National Team USA earned two gold medals and one silver
medal in cold food, Oct. 20, with its modern cold display, which showed
the techniques and styles used in cooking today. The presentation was
clean and strong, with food that reflected the current trends of
cuisine. The team also earned a gold medal in hot food, Oct. 22, using
sous vide methods and other modern American cuisine techniques. Of the
32 national teams that competed, the team placed seventh overall in the
world. The first three overall rankings were as follows: Norway, first;
Germany, second; and Sweden, third.
Both AAC Culinary Regional Team USA and ACF Culinary Regional Team
USA earned a gold medal in their competitions, Oct. 20 and Oct. 22
respectively. The ACF regional team won the championship by a narrow
margin, and the AAC regional team placed sixth, only three points behind
their American counterparts. Second place was awarded to Culinary Team
Alberta and Rhoneköche placed third. Sixty-two teams competed.
ACF Culinary Youth Team USA, comprised of five cooks from St. Louis,
earned a gold medal in cold food, Oct. 20, improving from the bronze
medal that the 2004 youth team earned in the same category. The team
earned a silver medal in hot food, Oct. 22, and placed fourth overall in
the world against 19 other youth teams. Germany placed first overall,
Switzerland placed second and Sweden placed third.
The U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team, which included four ACF members,
earned a gold medal in hot food, Oct. 20, and a gold medal in cold food,
Oct. 22. The team placed second overall in the world. While the team did
not officially fall under the banner of ACF Culinary Team USA, ACF chefs
played major roles on the team.
"We are so proud of all our ACF teams and members who competed at the
IKA this year," said Kinsella. "Most people don't realize how much time,
effort and practice goes into a competition of this magnitude. Our chefs
have been preparing for years, and it all comes down to a few days of
competitions. They will never forget their experience at the 'culinary
Olympics'."
ACF Culinary Team USA is the official representative team of the
United States in major national and international culinary competitions.
It comprises one national team of six members, two regional teams with
five members each, and a youth team of five members less than 23 years
old. Sponsors of ACF Culinary Team USA are Kraft Foodservice, Tyson Food
Service, Uncle Ben's, Unilever, Club Managers Association of America,
KitchenAid, Chef Revival, Fortessa, The Beef Checkoff, Friedr. Dick,
Westchester Country Club and Blodgett. Visit www.acfchefs.org to learn more about the team.
About the American Culinary Federation
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.
# # #
High-resolution photos are available upon request. Contact ACF to
schedule an interview with one of the team members.
Contact: Patricia Carroll
Communications Director
(800) 624-9458, ext. 147
pcarroll@acfchefs.net