Press Release

Nine Student Teams Put Their Cooking Skills to the Test at the ACF Student Team Central Region Championship in Indianapolis Next Month

St. Augustine, Fla., February 25, 2010—The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., will host the ACF Student Team Central Region Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc., March 26–27 at The Chef’s Academy, Indianapolis, during the 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, March 26–28.

The ACF Student Team Championship is designed to raise the standards of culinary excellence and professionalism among students, promote camaraderie and educational opportunities, and act as a staging area for research and development of culinary concepts. To compete at the regional level, teams must first win local and state competitions.

The regional competition consists of three phases: cold-food presentation, skills salon and cooking, where teams will prepare a pre-assigned classical fish starter chosen from Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, and a salad, entrée and dessert of their choice. A panel of judges will select the winning team, which will be announced at the Celebrating Regional Excellence Awards Gala, Sunday, March 28. The winning team will represent the Central region in the national competition in Anaheim, Calif., in August. Here are the 2010 ACF Student Team Central Region Championship candidates:

Illinois

Representing ACF Louis Joliet Chapter, students from Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill., will compete. Marc Hussey, CEC, AAC, is the team’s coach.

Indiana

Students representing ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter, Indianapolis, will compete. Jason Anderson, CEC, CCE, CCA, is the team’s coach.

Kansas

Representing ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association, students from Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan., will compete. Felix Sturmer is the team’s coach.

Michigan

Representing ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine, students from Oakland Community College, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., will compete. Kevin Enright, CEC, CCE, AAC, is the team’s coach.

Minnesota

Representing ACF Minneapolis Chefs Chapter, students from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Minn., will compete. Anne Loger is the team’s coach.

Missouri

Students representing Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc. will compete. Paul Kampff, CEC, is the team’s coach.

Nebraska

Students representing ACF Professional Chefs & Culinarians of the Heartland, Omaha, Neb., will compete. Brian O’Malley is the team’s coach.

Oklahoma

Representing ACF Culinary Arts of Oklahoma, students from Platt College, Okalahoma City, will compete. Travis Williams, CCC, is the team’s coach.

Wisconsin

Representing ACF Fox Valley Chapter, students from Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wis., will compete. John Johnson, CEC, CCE, is the team’s coach.

Hundreds of chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals will attend the three-day culinary event in Indianapolis. 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 Central Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: American Technical Publishers; Avocados from Mexico; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Central Region State Beef Councils; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal Salt; Gordon Food Service; Heinz North America; Kendall College; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; MenuMax; MINOR’S®; Nestle Waters; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Produce Marketing Association; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Splenda®; The Sterno Group; Sysco Foodservice; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; US 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, for a high-res photo or for press credentials to attend, contact Patricia Carroll or Leah Craig.

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

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

• Nine Student Teams Put Their Cooking Skills to the Test at the ACF Student Team Central Region Championship in Indianapolis Next Month