Press Release

Six Student Teams Put their Culinary Knowledge to the Test at the Northeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl in Boston

St. Augustine, Fla., January 28, 2009—The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., will hosts its Northeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by Pearson Education, at the 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference, held at the Westin Boston Waterfront, Boston, Feb 7–9.

The ACF Baron H. Galand Knowledge Bowl competitions are named in honor of past ACF National President Baron H. Galand, CEC, AAC, HOF, who championed junior members and encouraged them to get involved in their profession outside the kitchen.

ACF knowledge bowls are open to junior culinary teams from ACF chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools. Competition questions are drawn from five nationally published textbooks for culinary professionals that cover topics such as nutrition, safety and sanitation and the art of modern cooking. The tournament is formatted using a “Jeopardy”-style, five-by-four matrix board for games leading to the final round, and a five-by-five matrix board for the final round.

This year, student teams from Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will go head-to-head for the Northeast Regional title. The winning team will compete at the national competition held at ACF’s national convention in Orlando, Fla., in July. Here are the Northeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl candidates:

ACF Capital District–Central New York
The following students from Schenectady County Community College, Schenectady, N.Y., will compete: Jose Arteche III, of Colonie, N.Y.; Valerie Inman, of Watervliet, N.Y; Daniel Sala, of Watervliet, N.Y; Lisa Valentine, of Clifton Park, N.Y.; and Evan Weissman, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The team is coached by Christopher Tanner, CEC.

ACF Greater Baltimore Chapter
The following students from Baltimore International College, Baltimore, will compete: Carrie Britain, of Street, Md.; Megan Cirincione, of Abingdon, Md.; Kevin Keller, of Baltimore; Adam Lewis, of Baltimore; and Jeffrey Lyons, of Edgewood, Md. The team is coached by Faith Kling, CEC.

ACF of Greater Buffalo New York
The following students from Erie Community College–City Campus, Buffalo, N.Y., will compete: Dennis Danieu, of Buffalo, N.Y.; Patrick Gadzo, of Hamburg, N.Y.; Samantha Ryan, of Buffalo, N.Y.; Alyssa Schleicher, of North Tonawanda, N.Y.; and Stephen Sindon, of Buffalo, N.Y. The team is coached by Dorothy Johnston, CEC, CCE, AAC.

ACF Penn Jersey Metro Chefs Association
The following students from JNA Institute of Culinary Arts, Philadelphia, will compete: Valentina Fortuna, of Haddon Heights, N.J.; Thiago Gomes, of Philadelphia; Robert McKay, of Philadelphia; Michael Minkovsky, of Philadelphia; and Adrienne Rodgers, of Philadelphia. The team is coached by Florence Linton.

ACF Pittsburgh Chapter
The following students from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Pittsburgh, all of Pittsburgh, will compete: Adam Bryant; David Crawford; Valerie Diaz; Mark Hupkowicz; and Dan Pham. The team is coached by Mark Clink, CEC, CCE.

ACF West Virginia Chapter
The following students from Pierpont Community & Technical College, Fairmont, W.Va., will compete: Kristina Baker, of Petersburg, W.Va.; Adrienne Burnsworth, of Fairmont, W.Va.; Talia Chopyak, of Buckhannon, W.Va.; Stacey Dent, of Ansted, W.Va.; and Joseph Woods, of Morgantown, W.Va. The team is coached by Brian Floyd, CEC.

Hundreds of chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals will attend the three-day culinary event. There will be educational seminars, culinary demos, networking and social functions, culinary competitions, meal events and more. For information, or to register to attend, visit www.acfchefs.org or call (800) 624-9458.

Sponsors of the 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors include: American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; Bon Chef, Inc.; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Cargill Salt; Chartwells; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Enviro-Solutions; Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; GFF, Inc./Girard’s Dressings; Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; Marine Farms Belize, Ltd.; Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association; Mind’s Eye Resource Management, LLC; National Honey Board; The National Pork Board and America’s Pork Producers; Nestlé Professional; New England Coffee Company; NewChef Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Pasta CHEF®; Pearson Education; RC Fine Foods; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rougié Foie Gras; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Sartori Food Corporation; Sid Wainer & Sons; Splenda®; Sysco Food Services; Tyson Food Service; U.S. Foodservice–Boston; Unilever Foodsolutions 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 22,000 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. Contact Leah Craig at (800) 624-9458, ext. 113 to register for press credentials, or email lcraig@acfchefs.net.

Contact: Leah Craig
Public Relations Specialist
(800) 624-9458, ext. 113
lcraig@acfchefs.net

• Six Student Teams Put their Culinary Knowledge to the Test at the Northeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl in Boston