Press Release

Kendall College Culinary Students Named ACF Central Region Knowledge Bowl Champions

Chicago team advances to national competition; six other teams earn medals.

St. Augustine, Fla., March 29, 2010—The smartest culinary students in the region are from Kendall College, Chicago, according to the American Culinary Federation (ACF), a national organization of professional chefs. The team took home a gold medal and won the Central Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers, which took place at the 2010 ACF Central Regional Conference at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, March 26–28.

The team comprises the following student culinarians, all members of ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.: Allison Chikos; Erika Giffin, of Grayslake, Ill.; Sarah Roberts, of Bolingbrook, Ill.; Jacqueline Wallner, of Chicago; and Edward Whitney, of Glenview, Ill. The team is coached by Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE.

The following teams also earned medals in the regional competition:

• Bronze: Students representing Blackhawk Technical College, Janesville, Wis., who are members of ACF Blackhawk Chapter of Professional Chefs: Rebecca Fernandes, of Beloit, Wis.; Afton Mann, of Elkhorn, Wis.; Jerry Mason Jr., of Milton, Wis.; Kristina Pins, of Milton; and Amanda Schlagel, of Byron, Ill. The team is coached by Katie Thomas, CEPC.
• Bronze: Students representing Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan., who are members of ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association: Jennifer Kelm, of Shawnee Mission, Kan.; Jeff Maiden, of Overland Park; Louis Sgroi, of Lenexa, Kan.; Anna Springer; and Tristan Wagner, of Lawrence, Kan. The team is coached by Natalie Jones, CSC.
• Silver: Students representing ACF Louis Joliet Chapter, who are students at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.: Kevin Crouse, of Frankfort, N.Y.; Michael Shannon, of Plainfield, Ill.; Chad Simmons, of Griffith, Ind.; Raymond Steinberg, of Manhattan, Ill.; and Fabian Urbano. The team is coached by Frederick Ferrara.
• Silver: Students representing Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc., St. Louis : Kendra Couch, of St. Louis; Meredith Frank, of St. Louis; Jessica Grove, of St. Louis; Erin Hoffmann, of Wentzville, Miss.; and Richard Mueller, of St. Louis. The team is coached by Vicki Davenport.
• Silver: Students representing Delgado Community College, Gretna, La.: Michelle Devezin, of Gretna; Clarence Govan III, of New Orleans; Jordan Herndon, of New Orleans; Amarys Koenig, of New Orleans; and Raymond Yakelis, of Harvey, La. The team is coached by Nancy Burback, CEC, CCE.
• Silver: Students representing El Centro College, Dallas: Robert Clifford, of Irving, Texas; Dawn Knowlton, of Carrollton, Texas; Anita Pomilio, of Dallas; Rhonda Smith, of Kemp, Texas; and Wade Straub, of Grand Prairie, Texas. The team is coached by Beth Sonnier.

ACF knowledge bowls are open to junior culinary teams from ACF chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools. Competition questions are drawn from five nationally published textbooks for culinary professionals that cover topics such as nutrition, safety and sanitation and the art of modern cooking. The tournament is formatted using a “Jeopardy”-style, five-by-four matrix board for games leading to the final round, and a five-by-five matrix board for the final round.

Twelve student teams from Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin went head-to-head for the Central Region title. As Central Region champions, the Kendall College team will compete for the national title against three other winning regional teams at the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2–5. The highest scorer will be named the ACF Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl winner for 2010.

The Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl is named in honor of past ACF National President Baron H. Galand, CEC, AAC, HOF, who championed junior members and encouraged them to get involved in their profession outside the kitchen. 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, 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

• Kendall College Culinary Students Named ACF Central Region Knowledge Bowl Champions