Press Release
American Academy of Chefs Announces 2009 Award Winners and
Inductees
St. Augustine, Fla., July 16,
2009—The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society
of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), inducted 13 members and six
honorary members, and presented the following awards during a formal
ceremony and dinner at the 2009 ACF National Convention held at the
Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, Fla., July 10.
Chair’s Medal
John Minniti, CEC, AAC, HBOT; retired, Treasure Island, Fla.; ACF
Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey
Joseph Amendola Award
Gunther Heiland, CMPC, AAC; retired, Pottstown, Pa.; ACF
Philadelphia Chapter
Chef Good Taste Award
John Bogacki, CEC, CCE, AAC; executive chef, Westwood Country
Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, Inc.
Sharing Culinary Traditions Award
L. Timothy Ryan, CMC, AAC; president, The Culinary Institute of
America, Hyde Park, N.Y.; Mid Hudson Culinary Association
Lt. General John D. McLaughlin Award
Brigadier General Jesse Cross; commanding general, U.S. Army
Quartermaster Center and School, Fort Lee, Va.
Lawrence A. Conti, CEC, AAC, HOF, Chair’s
Achievement Award
Harry Hoffstadt, CEC, AAC, HOF; retired, Niles, Ill.; ACF Chicago
Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.
American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame
Michel Escoffier; president, Foundation Auguste Escoffier,
Villeneuve-Loubet, France
Gerhart Koennecke, AAC; posthumously,
Deptford, N.J.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter
Phil Learned, CEC, AAC; retired, Andover,
Maine; ACF Chapter of Northern New Hampshire
John Minniti, CEC, AAC, HBOT; retired,
Treasure Island, Fla.; ACF Professional Chefs Association of South
Jersey
Michael Rand, HAAC; director of hospitality
sales, Barber Foods, Portland, Maine; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter,
Inc.
American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame
Celebrated Chef
Patrick O’Connell; chef/proprietor, The Inn at Little
Washington, Washington, Va.
2009 American Academy of Chefs Academy Fellows
Scott Daniels, CEC, CCA; senior manager of dining and culinary
services, Sodexo Senior Services Division, Wilmington, Del.; ACF First
State Chefs Association
Urs Emmenegger, CEC; executive chef,
Entrée Preneur, San Diego; ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego
John Farris, CEC; food consultant, Lansing
Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority, Lansing, Mich.; ACF
Capital Professional Chefs & Cooks Association of Greater Lansing
Gary Leach, CEC; executive chef, Centerplate
at Roland E. Powell Convention Center, Ocean City, Md.; Delmarva Chefs
& Cooks Association
Charles Mattocks, CEC, CCA; food service
director, Carolinas Hospital System, Florence, S.C.; ACF Pee Dee
Chapter
Mark Prece Sr., CEC; corporate executive chef,
American Italian Pasta Company, Kansas City, Mo.; ACF Greater Kansas
City Chefs Association
Kyle Richardson, CEC, CCE; professor of
culinary arts, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet
Chapter
Brian Sode, CEC; executive chef, The
Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.; ACF National Chapter
J. Kevin Storm, CEC, CCA; executive chef,
Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St.
Louis Inc.
James Thomas, CEC; executive chef, Ocean
Forest Golf Club, Sea Island, Ga.; ACF Golden Isles of Georgia
Chapter
Mark Warren, CEC; chief food management
sergeant major, U.S. Army European headquarters; Old Dominion ACF
Chapter
James White, CEC; director of dining services,
Our Lady of the Angels Convent, Enfield, Conn.; Connecticut Chefs
Association
John Zelko, CEC; executive chef, Genesys
Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc, Mich.; ACF Flint/Saginaw Valley
Chapter
2009 American Academy of Chefs Honorary Fellows
Patrick Diethelm; director/head chef-instructor, DCT European
Culinary & Pastry Chocolate Arts Center, Lucerne, Switzerland
Robert Kinkead; executive chef/owner,
Kinkead’s, Washington, D.C.
Robert Nograd; dean emeritus, Johnson &
Wales Unviersity, Miami
Arthur Ritt; retired, Deerfield, Ill.
Lucien Salama; president, NEWCHEF Fashion,
Inc., Los Angeles
Dawn Sweeney; president/chief executive
officer, National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C.
The AAC, which recognizes those individuals who have made significant
contributions to both the culinary profession and ACF, was established
in 1955 at the ACF National Convention in Pittsburgh. Those credited
with its founding include the legendary Pierre Berard, Peter Berrini and
Paul Laesecke, AAC, HOF.
Out of more than 22,000 ACF members, approximately 800 belong to the
AAC. Demanding criteria must be met to be elected to the AAC, including:
certification at a level of executive chef/pastry chef or higher; no
less than 15 years culinary experience; an ACF member in good standing
for a minimum of 10 consecutive years or more; and sponsorship by two
AAC members.
Sponsors of AAC events at the 2009 ACF National Convention are: Allen
Brothers; American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; BelGioioso Cheese Inc.;
Buckhead Beef; Butterball Farms; The Chef’s Garden; CleanFish;
Contessa Premium Foods; The Crystal Cave; Desserts International;
Ecolab; Harbor Seafood; Hudson Valley Foie Gras; Ice Caterers; Icon
Estates; Jennifer Garant; Labriola; Lactalis; Les Chateaux de France;
Marky’s; Nestle Waters North America; New Chef Fashion; PinSource;
Revol; The Schwan’s Food Company; Shucks Maine Lobster;
Tito’s Hand Made Vodka; Valrhona; and Villeroy & Boch.
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, and to the
Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition
in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit
www.acfchefs.org.
# # #
To arrange an interview or for a high-res photo, contact Leah Craig
at (800) 624-9458, ext. 113, or Patricia Carroll at ext. 147. Email lcraig@acfchefs.net or pcarroll@acfchefs.net.
Contact: Leah Craig
(800) 624-9458, ext. 113
lcraig@acfchefs.net
Patricia Carroll
(800) 624-9458, ext. 147
pcarroll@acfchefs.net
