AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE

Award Winners Announced at 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference
More than 700 Chefs and Cooks Attended ACF's Conference in Pittsburgh

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., March 5, 2007 -The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and chapters at the 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference held at the Westin Convention Center, March 2-4, in Pittsburgh.

The 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference award recipients listed below will compete for the national title against their winning regional counterparts at the 2007 ACF National Convention in Orlando, July 21-24.

U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™ sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
Daniel Scannell, CMC, executive Chef, Carnegie Abbey Club, Portsmouth, R.I.; ACF Rhode Island Chapter

ACF Pastry Chef of the Year sponsored by Splenda®
Patricia Nash, pastry chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; ACF Culinary Team USA member; Chefs Association of Westchester & Lower Connecticut

ACF Chef Educator of the Year
Norman Hart, CEC, CCE, AAC, culinary instructor, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

ACF Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Gary Fitting, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, chef instructor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, Punxsutawney, Pa.; The Groundhog Chapter of the ACF

ACF Chef Professionalism Award sponsored by Nestlé FoodServices
Michael "Mickey" Beriau, CEC, AAC, executive chef, White Cliffs Country Club, Plymouth, Mass.; ACF Cape Cod & the Islands Chefs Association

ACF Student Culinarian of the Year sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Daniel Kirby, North Tonawanda, N.Y.; student, Erie Community College North, Williamsville, N.Y.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl
New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, Vt.
Jeff Surdel; Jakub Cogswell; Joseph Mitchell; Rosalynn Kooker; Angel Custodio; Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE, coach

ACF Student Team Regional Championship sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
New York; ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains; State University of New York at Delhi; Thomas Recinella, CEC, AAC, coach

The 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

ACF Chapter of the Year
ACF Long Island Chapter

ACF Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Akron-Canton Area Cooks and Chefs Association
ACF Casco Bay Culinary Association of Portland
ACF Columbus Chapter
ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
ACF of Greater Buffalo New York
ACF Long Island Chapter
ACF Nations Capital Chefs Association
ACF Philadelphia Chapter

ACF Chef & Child Little Oscar Award Winner
ACF Long Island Chapter

ACF President's Medallions
Don Antinore, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, retired, LeRoy, N.Y.; ACF Professional Chefs/Cooks Association of Rochester
Kenneth Bucholtz, CCE, AAC, executive chef, Brookside Country Club, Canton, Ohio; ACF Akron-Canton Area Cooks and Chefs Association
Americo DiFronzo, CEC, AAC, executive chef, American Food Systems, Inc., Burlington, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
Joe Eidem, CEC, AAC, director of food & nutrition, Renown Regional Medical Center, Reno, N.V.; ACF High Sierra Chefs Association
Susan Sykes Hendee, Ph.D., CCE, dean of graduate and academic studies, Baltimore International College, Baltimore; ACF National Chapter
Ferdinand E. Metz, CMC, AAC, HOF, president emeritus, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.; Mid Hudson Culinary Association
Timothy Recher, CEC, executive chef, Sheraton Baltimore City Center, Baltimore.; ACF Nations Capital Chefs Association
Denise Schaefer, CEC, CCE, chef instructor of food service, Penta Career Center, Perrysburg, Ohio.; Maumee Valley Chefs Chapter ACF
Clarence Steadman, CCE, chef instructor, Hocking College, Nelsonville, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

Chosen for its historical, recreational and social attractions, Pittsburgh was the location of the 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference, hosted by the ACF Pittsburgh Chapter. Bringing more than 700 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the conference themed "The Culinary Lifestyle: Balancing Life and Passion" was a tremendous success. The conference provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative business seminars, forums, clinics, cutting-edge demonstrations and hands-on workshops. In addition, the conference offered participants the opportunity to learn about the latest cooking trends and techniques. The conference also featured a trade show where foodservice exhibitors showcased their latest culinary products.

Sponsors of the 2007 ACF Northeast Regional Conference include: American Lamb Board; Anova Food, Inc.; The Art Institute of Pittsburgh; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Contessa Premium Foods, Inc.; GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Levy Restaurants; MasterFoodServices; RC Fine Foods; SYSCO Foodservices of Pittsburgh, LLC; Rich Products Corporation; US Foodservice; and The Vollrath Co., LLC. National partners include: Custom Culinary, Inc.; Nestlé FoodServices; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Splenda®; Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Unilever Foodsolutions. Demo/seminar sponsors include: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC; Nestlé FoodServices; and Thomson Delmar Learning. Chef Designs is the ACF event merchandise preferred provider.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in America. With more than 19,000 members spanning more than 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the only 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 also holds the presidium for the World Association of Chefs Societies, the largest international network of chef associations with more than 8 million members globally. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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