Press Release

Four Chefs Receive American Culinary Federation Cutting Edge Awards at 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference

St. Augustine, Fla., March 29, 2010—Four chefs from Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and Texas were awarded the American Culinary Federation, Inc., (ACF) Cutting Edge Award at the 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, March 26–28.

The Cutting Edge Award was presented to the following professionals by ACF National President Michael Ty, CEC, AAC, in recognition of their leadership and service to the culinary profession:

• Kelly Cook, CEC, AAC, of Bedford, Texas, director, Texas Chefs Association, Dallas chapter, Hurst, Texas; Texas Chefs Association
• Luis Fernando Mojica, of Chicago, student, Elgin Community College, Elgin, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.
• Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC, of East Lansing, Mich., executive sous chef, Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, East Lansing; ACF Capital Professional Chefs & Cooks Association of Greater Lansing
• Lindy Robinson, dean, business division, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan.; ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association

The 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference, hosted by ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter, brought hundreds of chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to Indianapolis. 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 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.; Gordon Food Service; Heinz North America; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; McFarling Foods, Inc.; MenuMax; MINOR’S®; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; NRA Conserve; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Splenda®; The Sterno Group; Sysco Indianapolis, LLC; 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. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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To arrange an interview, 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

• Four Chefs Receive American Culinary Federation Cutting Edge Awards at 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference