Press Release

Award Winners Announced at 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference in Seattle

St. Augustine, Fla., April 7, 2009—The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and chapters at the 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference held at Seattle Doubletree Hotel, Seattle, April 4–6.

The 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below will compete for national titles against their winning regional counterparts at the 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla., July 11–14.

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
Brian Hubner, executive sous chef, Cherry Hills Country Club, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association

Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda®
Eric Phillips, CEPC, executive pastry chef, Ameristar Black Hawk, Black Hawk, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association

Chef Educator of the Year
Heinz Lauer, CEC, executive chef, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts–Las Vegas; ACF Chefs of Las Vegas

Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award
Bobby Moghaddam, CEC, CCE, director, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, Riverside Community College, Riverside, Calif.; ACF Southern CA Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Nestlé Professional
Whitney Werner, CEC, CCA, executive chef, The Beach Club, Santa Monica, Calif.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of California

Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Victoria Maxfield, student, Utah Valley State College, Orem, Utah; ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc.

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by Pearson Education
Broadmoor Hotel and Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.: Katharine Allen, Mikki Butler, Lucas Glau, Jacquelyn Gundelfinger and Kendra Peregrin. The team was coached by Robert Huckels.

Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
Chefs de Cuisine Association of Hawaii Honolulu; Kapi’olani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii; Anna Hirano, Keaka Lee, Tate Nakano-Edwards, San Shoppell and Rena Suzuki. The team was coached by Frank Leake, CCC, CCE.

The 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

Special Recognition
Bruce Riddell, CEC, AAC, retired, Colorado Springs, Colo.; ACF Pikes Peak Chapter Inc.

Special Recognition for Chapter Presidents
Ray Delfino, CEC, Spokane Valley, Wash.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest, 2008 term
Gary Fuller, CEC, CCE, AAC, program manager, West Sound Technical Skills Center, Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association, 2009 term
Peter Hodgson, CEC, executive chef, Salt Lake City Marriott-University Park, Salt Lake City; ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc., 2009 term
Vernon Wong, CEC, consultant, Kailua Kona, Hawaii; ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs Association, 2007 term

Chapter of the Year
ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego, San Diego

Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc., Salt Lake City
ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc., Phoenix
ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego, San Diego
ACF Colorado Chefs Association, Denver
ACF Monterey Bay Chapter, Carmel, Calif.
ACF San Francisco Chapter, San Francisco

ACF President’s Medallions
William Barber, educator, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, Calif.; ACF Orange Empire Chefs & Professional Cooks Association
James Callison, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest
Lyle Hildahl, CFBE, FMP, director of education, Washington Restaurant Association, Olympia, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association
James Koskiniemi, executive chef, Bellevue Club, Oakland, Calif.; ACF San Francisco Chapter
Mial Parker, CEC, CCE, department chair/chef-instructor, Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell, Calif.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of California
Eric Watson, CCC, CCE, instructor, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix

American Academy of Chefs Chair’s Scholarship
Nicolas Ganea, student, Renton Technical College, Renton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Chosen for its focus on sustainability and its rich culinary culture and breathtaking surroundings, Seattle was the location of the 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by ACF Washington State Chefs Association. Bringing 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 and cooking demonstrations featuring the latest trends and techniques.

Sponsors of the 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: Alaska Silk Pie Company; Barber Foods; Beef Information Center; Bon Chef, Inc.; Boyd’s Coffee Company; Bunge Oils; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Canola Council of Canada/CanolaInfo; Cargill Meat Solutions; Cargill Salt; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Enviro-Solutions; GFF, Inc./Girard’s Dressings; Guittard Chocolate Co.; International Wine Guild; The Investing Chef; Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; Marine Farms Belize, Ltd.; The National Pork Board and America’s Pork Producers; Nestlé Professional; NewChef Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission; Pearson Education; Pike Brewing Company; Peterson Cheese Company; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Splenda®; Starbucks Foodservice; SYSCO Seattle, Inc.; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; Vita-Mix; Washington State Potato Commission; Western State Beef Councils in partnership with Snake River Farms; 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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For photos and interviews, contact Leah Craig at lcraig@acfchefs.net or call (800) 624-9458, ext. 113.

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

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

• Award Winners Announced at 2009 ACF Western Regional Conference in Seattle