AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE

Chefs Hold Annual ACF Central Regional Conference in Milwaukee
More than 300 Chefs and Cooks are Expected at ACF's Conference

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., March 22, 2007 - The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, will hold its annual 2007 ACF Central Regional Conference at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, March 25-27, in the thriving city of Milwaukee.

Chosen for its arts, and historical and recreational attractions, Milwaukee is the location of the ACF Northeast Regional Conference, hosted by the ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, bringing an estimated 300 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city. The conference provides attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative business seminars, forums, clinics and cutting-edge demonstrations. In addition, the conference offers participants the opportunity to learn about the latest cooking trends and techniques. The conference also features a trade show where foodservice exhibitors showcase their latest culinary products.

The ACF Professional Development Program, comprised of the Educator Development Series and the Career Development Series, is an educational opportunity available to attending chefs, cooks and industry representatives. The Educator Development Series for educators explores methods for ensuring that learning outcomes are used intentionally and meaningfully for enhancing pedagogy, student learning and course design. The Career Development Series focuses on the areas of culinary nutrition, food safety and sanitation, culinary supervisory and business management, and lifestyle enrichment. This series of seminars, lectures and workshops includes refresher courses needed to maintain ACF certification points to improve chefs and cooks overall knowledge and skill base, and personal and professional growth.

Other seminars in the lineup include:

• Removing Trans Fats from Today's Menu Without Sacrificing Quality or Flavor, sponsored by Nestlé FoodServices
• Kosher 101 - The Chef's Perspective
• Exploring the Flavors of Mexico, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
• The Magic of Kobe Beef (American Style)
• Cheese Course Trends and Examples, sponsored by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.
• Blue Smoke: The Influence of American Regional BBQ on the Modern Menu
• Fresh Water Fish - Trout and Whitefish
• Beer: The New Wine in Culinary Adventures
• Local Food and the Farmer - Chef Connection
• Tradition and Innovation: A Journey into the Vast World of Soy

Conference attendees also have the opportunity to witness culinary competitions featuring the region's best chefs competing for the prestigious titles of ACF Central Region chefs of the year, as well as other awards. In addition, a Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc., will take place at the Milwaukee Area Technical College and features teams from across the region competing in a hot food competition and cold food salon for the chance to become the regions' champion. All winners will advance to the national championship at the 2007 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July.

Registration is available onsite. Visit www.acfchefs.org to learn more about the ACF Central Regional Conference.

Sponsors of the 2007 ACF Central Regional Conference include: Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings; Johnsonville Sausage, LLC; Kobe Beef America; MasterFoodServices; Reinhart FoodService; SYSCO Corporation; The Vollrath Co., LLC; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. National partners include: Custom Culinary, Inc.; Nestlé FoodServices; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Splenda®; Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Unilever Foodsolutions. Demo/seminar sponsors include: 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 240 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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MEDIA IS INVITED TO ATTEND. CALL PATRICIA CARROLL AT (800) 624-9458 EXTENSION 147 TO REGISTER FOR COMPLIMENTARY DAY PASSES.