Press Release

American Academy of Chefs Announces its 2010 Award Winners and Inductees

St. Augustine, Fla., August 10, 2010—The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), inducted 22 members and six honorary members, and presented the following awards during a formal ceremony and dinner at the 2010 ACF National Convention held at the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 3.

Chair’s Medal

John Kaufmann, CEC, AAC, retired, Antioch, Ill.; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

Joseph Amendola Award

John Hui, CEPC, AAC, corporate pastry chef, Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.; ACF Chefs Las Vegas

Chef Good Taste Award

Friedrich Gitschner, CMC, AAC, chef/owner, Gitschner’s Productions, Houston; ACF Professional Chefs Association of Houston

Sharing Culinary Traditions Award

Michael Garbin, CEC, AAC; executive chef, Union League Club of Chicago, Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

Lt. General John D. McLaughlin Award

Roland Schaeffer, CEC, AAC, HOF, retired, St. Augustine, Fla.; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

Lawrence A. Conti, CEC, AAC, HOF, Chair’s Achievement Award

Anthony Graffeo, CEC, AAC, retired executive chef, Saugus, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame

Donald Antinore, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, HOF, executive chef, Hospitality Solutions Consulting, Le Roy, N.Y.; ACF Professional Chefs/Cooks Association of Rochester
Noel Cullen, CMC, AAC, HOF, deceased, past president, American Culinary Federation
Jim Douglas, CEC, CCE, AAC, HOF, retired, Marysville, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association
Bernard Urban, CEC, AAC, HOF, chef ambassador, Ben E. Keith Foods, Houston; Texas Chefs Association

American Academy of Chefs Honorary Culinary Hall of Fame

Frederick Dame, HAAC, HBOT, HHOF, vice president of sales, Heirloom Wine Group, Foster’s Wine Estates, San Francisco

American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame Celebrated Chef

Charlie Palmer, hospitality entrepreneur, chef and hotelier, New York

2010 American Academy of Chefs Academy Fellows

Kirk Bachmann, M.Ed., CEC, AAC, vice president of education, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
David Bearl, CCC, CCE, AAC, program coordinator, First Coast Technical College, St. Augustine, Fla.; ACF St. Augustine Chapter
Glenn Brown, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Country Club of Indianapolis, Indianapolis; ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
Raymond Delfino, CEC, CCA, AAC, executive chef, The Spokane Club, Spokane, Wash.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest
Christopher Donato, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Nestlé Professional, Charlotte, N.C.; ACF Inc. Charlotte Chapter
Douglas Fisher, CEC, CCE, AAC, chef-instructor, Spokane Community College, Spokane, Wash.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest
Hilmar Jonsson, AAC, corporate chef, KeyImpact Sales & Systems, Inc., Chesapeake, Va.; ACF Virginia Chefs Association
Eric Karell, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Atlanta Athletic Club, Atlanta; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.
Theodore Kowalski, CEC, AAC, corporate chef, Sysco Foodservices of Philadelphia, Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter
Frank Leake, CCC, CCE, AAC, professor of culinary arts, University of Hawaii, Kapi’olani Community College, Honolulu; Chefs de Cuisine Association of Hawaii Honolulu
Willie Lewis, AAC, corporate executive chef, Romanelli’s Garden Cafe and on the Greene, Galloway, N.J.; ACF Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey
Robert Lombardi, CEC, CEPC, CCE, AAC, corporate executive chef, Black Rock Development and The Club at Black Rock, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; culinary-arts instructor, Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College, Spokane, Wash.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest
Christopher McCook, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Athens Country Club, Athens, Ga.; Classic City Chefs and Cooks Association
Bobby Moghaddam, CEC, CCE, AAC, director, hospitality management and culinary arts academy, Riverside City College Culinary Academy, Riverside, Calif.; ACF Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association
Thomas Pepka, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter
Hubert Schmieder, AAC, retired, Lafayette, Ind.; ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
Michel Villon, CEC, CCE, AAC, retired, Anchorage, Ala.; ACF Alaska Culinary Association
Senior Master Sgt. Mark Veomett, CEC, AAC, private chef, U.S. Air Force; Old Dominion ACF Chapter
Robert Walter, CEC, CCA, AAC, assistant director of foodservice operations, Goodwill Great Lakes at the Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.
Mark Webster, CEC, CCE, AAC, executive chef, New Theatre Restaurant, Overland Park, Kan.; ACF Greater Kansas City Chefs Association
Robert White, CEC, CCA, AAC, educator, The Culinary Institute of Michigan, Muskegon, Mich.; ACF West Michigan Lakeshore Chapter
C. David Wolf, CEC, executive chef, Hyatt on Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

2010 American Academy of Chefs Honorary Fellows

Phyllis Arrowood, HAAC, culinary liaison, Bucks County, Pa.
Claude Buzon, HAAC, president, Chef’s Hat Inc., Edmonton, Canada; international relations chair, Canadian Culinary Federation; ACF Chefs Las Vegas
Michael G. Chain, HAAC, general manager, The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Malvern, Pa.
Gissur Gudmundsson, HAAC, president, executive committee, World Association of Chefs Societies, Reykjavik, Iceland
Susan S. Hendee, Ph.D., CCE, HAAC, vice president of academic affairs, Baltimore International College, Baltimore
Antonietta Pendleton, CEC, HAAC, retired, Antonietta’s Pasta, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.; ACF Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey

The AAC, which recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to both the culinary profession and ACF, was established in 1955 at the ACF National Convention in Pittsburgh. Those credited with its founding include the legendary Pierre Berard, Peter Berrini and Paul Laesecke, AAC, HOF.

Out of more than 22,000 ACF members, approximately 850 belong to the AAC. Demanding criteria must be met to be elected to the AAC, including: certification at a level of executive chef/pastry chef or higher; no less than 15 years culinary experience; an ACF member in good standing for a minimum of 10 consecutive years or more; and sponsorship by two AAC members. Honorary fellows are first nominated by AAC members, and then selected by a committee.

Sponsors of AAC events at the 2010 ACF National Convention are: Allen Brothers; BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.; Buckhead Beef; California Olive Ranch; Chef's Hat; Contessa; Crystal Cave; Crystal Creations; Desmond Great Valley Hotel and Conference Center; Desserts International; Ecolab; Foster’s Wine Estates Americas; Hudson Valley Foie Gras; Kingsburg Orchards; Koch Foods, Inc.; Lactalis Foodservice; L.A. Specialty; MARS Foodservices; NEWCHEF Fashion; PinSource; Rastelli; Schwan Food Company; Smeraldina; Splenda®; Sysco Philadelphia; S&D Coffee, Inc.; Tito’s Handmade Vodka; Uncle Ben’s; Villeroy & Boch; and Wind Creek Casino & Hotel.

About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic 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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Editor’s Note: To arrange an interview or request a high-res photo, contact Leah Craig at (904) 484-0213 or lcraig@acfchefs.net, or Patricia Carroll at (904) 484-0247 or pcarroll@acfchefs.net.

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

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

• American Academy of Chefs Announces its 2010 Award Winners and Inductees