Press Release

Award Winners Announced at 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference

St. Augustine, Fla., February 9, 2010—The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and chapters at the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 6–8.

The 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below will compete for national titles against their winning regional counterparts at the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2–5.

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions

Brandon Parry, CEC, PCEC, ACE, executive chef, U.S. Navy, San Diego; ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego

Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda®

Tracy DeWitt, lead pastry chef-instructor, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Scottsdale, Ariz.; ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc.

Chef Educator of the Year

Jeffrey Brown, Ed.D., CEC, CCE, associate professor, California Sate Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, Calif.; ACF Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association

Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award

Jean Hull, CCE, AAC, owner, Jean’s Hospitality Consultant, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs Association

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Minor’s

Aran Essig, CEC, CCA, executive chef, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association

Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.

Emily Wallace, student, Renton Technical College, Renton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California–San Diego: Carlos Esparza, Lorian Koller, Megan Leppert, Evan Rossman and Virginia Vermeulen. The team is coached by Kelly Funes and Michael Zonfrilli.

Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.

Santa Clara Valley Chapter; Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell, Calif.; Girija Kaushik, Patricia Liu, Reilly Meehan, Khuong Nguyen and Tiffany Young. The team is coached by Randy Torres, CEC.

The 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

Chapter of the Year

ACF Washington State Chefs Association, Seattle

Chapter Achievement Award

ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego, San Diego
ACF High Sierra Chefs Association, Reno, Nev.
ACF Washington State Chefs Association, Seattle

Cutting Edge Award

Gary Fuller, CEC, CCE, AAC, program manager, West Sound Technical Skills Center, Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association
Jason Morse, CEC, executive chef, Valley Country Club, Aurora, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association
Eric Watson, CCC, CCE, chef-instructor, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix; ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc.

ACF President’s Medallions

Richard Burr, CEC, executive chef, Spirit Mountain Casino, Grand Ronde, Ore.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of Oregon
John Hui, CEPC, AAC, corporate pastry chef, Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.; ACF Chefs Las Vegas
Richard Schneider, CMC, AAC, retired, Las Vegas; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Chosen for its New Mexican cuisine, scenic beauty and entertainment options, Albuquerque was the location of the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by ACF Rio Grande Valley Chapter. Bringing chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the conference provided attendees with opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through business seminars, cooking demonstrations featuring the latest trends and techniques, cooking competitions and awards.

Sponsors of the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: American Technical Publishers; Avocados from Mexico; Barry Callebaut; Ben E. Keith; Boyd Coffee Company; California Rice Commission; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal Salt; Fisher-Nickel Inc.; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; MenuMax; Minor’s®; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Shamrock Foods Company; Splenda®; Sterling Silver Premium Meats; Sysco New Mexico, LLC; TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc.; The Sterno Group; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; 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.

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To arrange interviews or for a high-res photo, contact Patricia Carroll or Leah Craig.

Contacts: Patricia Carroll
(904) 484-0247
pcarroll@acfchefs.net

Leah Craig
(904) 484-0213
lcraig@acfchefs.net

• Award Winners Announced at 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference