Press Release

Lincoln Culinary Institute Culinary Students Named ACF Southeast Region Knowledge Bowl Champions

Florida team advances to national competition and Georgia team earns bronze.

St. Augustine, Fla., April 27, 2010—The smartest culinary students in the region are from Lincoln Culinary Institute, West Palm Beach, Fla., according to the American Culinary Federation (ACF), a national organization of professional chefs. The team took home a gold medal and won the Southeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers, which took place at the 2010 ACF Southeast Regional Conference at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, Birmingham, Ala., April 24–26.

The team comprises the following student culinarians, all members of ACF Palm Beach County Chefs Association: Hitesh Arora, CC, CPC, of West Palm Beach, Fla.; Andrew Croney, CPC, of West Palm Beach, Fla.; Glendon David of West Palm Beach, Fla.; Francois Leonce of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Jami Yaccarino of Delray Beach, Fla. The team is coached by Steve Sitnick.

The following team also earned a medal in the regional competition:

• Bronze: Students representing The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta, who are members of ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.: Russell Armstrong of Powder Springs, Ga.; Caleb Fischer of Salem, Ala.; Elizabeth Gobler of Woodstock, Ga.; Robert Ryan of Woodstock; and Alexandra Saurer of Atlanta. The team is coached by Joseph Costa, CEC, CCE.

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.

Four student teams from Florida and Georgia went head-to-head for the Southeast Region title. As Southeast Region champions, the Lincoln Culinary Institute 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 Southeast Regional Conference, hosted by ACF Birmingham, Alabama Chapter, brought hundreds of chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to Birmingham. 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 Southeast Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: Alabama Cattlemen’s Association; American Technical Publishers; Cabot Creamery Cooperative; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee; Custom Culinary, Inc.; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; MenuMax; MINOR’S®; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; NRA Conserve; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; S&D Coffee; Splenda®; SYSCO Birmingham; The Sterno Group; Tyson Food Service; U.S. Foodservice; 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.

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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

• Lincoln Culinary Institute Culinary Students Named ACF Southeast Region Knowledge Bowl Champions