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Press ReleaseFour Pastry Chefs Battle for Title of ACF Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year in New Mexico in FebruarySt. Augustine, Fla., January 7, 2010—Four pastry chefs from Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Washington will soon find out if they have what it takes to be named American Culinary Federation (ACF) Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year. The competition, sponsored by Splenda®, takes place Saturday, Feb. 6, during the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference, held at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, Albuquerque, N.M. The ACF Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year award recognizes a pastry chef who displays a passion for the craft, has an accomplished reputation in the pastry field and has helped educate others by sharing skills and knowledge. Chefs were nominated by colleagues for their creativity, talent and passion. At the regional competition, chefs will prepare four portions of a hot/warm dessert. They will have 15 minutes to set up, 60 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to plate the dessert and 15 minutes to clean up. Judges will evaluate cooking skills, menu taste and professionalism. The winner will be announced at the Celebrating Regional Excellence Awards Gala, Monday, Feb. 8. The winner will advance to the national competition, which takes place in Anaheim, Calif., in August. Here are the 2010 ACF Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year candidates: Arizona Tracy DeWitt began her baking career in a French-Viennese pastry shop in New Jersey when she was 15 years old. Today, she is lead pastry chef-instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Ariz., formerly Scottsdale Culinary Institute, where she has worked for nearly 15 years. She received her culinary training at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., where she earned an associate degree in culinary arts in 1988 and a certificate in baking and pastry in 1994. In 2006, DeWitt earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from American InterContinental University, Hoffman Estates, Ill. DeWitt is no stranger to competitions—she has competed in four Food Network Challenges and won a silver medal at the 2009 National Team Pastry Championship in Phoenix. DeWitt is a member of ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc. Nevada At 16 years of age, Thomas Trevethan, CEPC, began a four-year apprenticeship at a French patisserie in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, that set the course for his future. Today, Trevethan is pastry chef at Paris Las Vegas, a 3,000-room luxury hotel with 18 food-and-beverage outlets. Here, he manages the 24-hour pastry and bakery teams of 70 pastry cooks/bakers and six assistant pastry chefs, develops menus, conducts training and creates blown sugar and chocolate centerpieces for special events. Prior to joining the staff at Paris Las Vegas, he worked as executive pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton in Cancun, Mexico. He has also worked for Crystal Cruise Line, Sheraton Stockholm Hotel in Sweden and Harrods in London. Trevethan is a member of ACF National Chapter. Utah Growing up in Cuba, Adalberto Diaz was always interested in cooking. In 1996, he graduated from the International School for Tourism Entertainment in Havana. He then traveled to Germany for three months to learn about the country’s cuisine and its language. When he returned to Cuba, he opened Calle Retiro Bakery in Havana, where he worked for four years. However, since private businesses were forbidden in Cuba, Diaz had to leave his country. He immigrated to the U.S., settled in Salt Lake City and got a job as a baker at Frank Granato Importing Company. Today, Diaz is a chef-instructor at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He does regular cooking demonstrations for local TV stations and donates his time and skills to several local charities. He is a member of ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter, Inc. Washington Janet Shaffer, CWPC, of Lynwood, Wash., has been a bakery instructor at Lake Washington Technical College (LWTC) in Kirkland, Wash., for six years. At the school, she works with students and oversees production of catering events and the retail bakery’s operations. She received her culinary training at the school, earning an associate degree in culinary arts in 2000. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in culinary management from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2009. Shaffer has received numerous awards, including LWTC’s Instructional Excellence Award in 2008, ACF Washington State Chefs Association’s Chef of the Year in 2007 and three silver medals at ACF competitions in 2005 and 2006. She is a member of ACF Washington State Chefs Association. Hundreds of chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals will attend the three-day culinary event in New Mexico. 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 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: American Technical Publishers; Avocados from Mexico; Barry Callebaut; Boyd Coffee Company; California Rice Commission; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal Salt; Fisher-Nickel Inc.; i-COOK; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; Nestlé Professional; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Splenda®; Sysco New Mexico, LLC; TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc.; The Sterno Group; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; Vitamix Corp.; 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, 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 interviews, for a high-res photo or for press credentials to attend, contact Patricia Carroll or Leah Craig. Contact: Patricia Carroll Leah Craig |
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