AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE

Award Winners Announced at 2007 ACF Central Regional Conference
More than 400 Chefs and Cooks Attended ACF's Conference in Milwaukee

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., March 29, 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 Central Regional Conference held at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, March 25-27, in Milwaukee.

The 2007 ACF Central 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
Matthew Southard; executive chef, Prestwick Country Club, Frankfort, Ind.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

ACF Pastry Chef of the Year sponsored by Splenda®
Michelle Garcia; owner/executive pastry chef, The Bleeding Heart Bakery, Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

ACF Chef Educator of the Year
Michael Artlip, CEC, CCE, CHE; AAS culinary-arts program chair, The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

ACF Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Albert Imming, CMPC, CCE, AAC; professor emeritus, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

ACF Chef Professionalism Award sponsored by Nestlé FoodServices
Gregory Wozniak, CEC, AAC; executive chef, Sendik's, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.

ACF Student Culinarian of the Year sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Erica Kendall; student, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl
Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc., St. Louis
Brian Horton; Mary Boehne; Stephen Durley; Corey Moore; Sheeri Sullivan; Joseph Mueller, CCC, coach

ACF Student Team Regional Championship sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
Michigan; ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association; Culinary Studies Institute at Oakland Community College; Bradley Ball; John Clements; Elizabeth Kallio; Kathryn Szczerba; Norman Valenti; Tammy Gauthier, coach; Kevin Enright, CEC, CCE, AAC, coach

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

ACF Chapter of the Year
Texas Chefs Association

ACF Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Black Hills Chapter of Professional Chefs
ACF Capital Area Professional Chefs and Cooks
ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.
ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.
ACF Greater Des Moines Culinary Association
ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
ACF Minneapolis Chefs Chapter
ACF South Bend Chefs and Cooks
ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.
Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.
Texas Chefs Association

ACF Chef & Child Little Oscar Award
ACF South Bend Chef and Cooks Association

ACF President's Medallions
Hans Aeschbacher, AAC; Chicago; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.
David Davidson, CEC, CCA, AAC; executive chef, Sodexho USA, New Berlin, Wis; ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, Inc.
Ralph Comstock, CEC, AAC; retired educator, Indianapolis; ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
Dean Jaramillo, AAC; City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.
Stephen Miller, CMC; Macone Midway LLC, Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.
Marita Pietrykowski, CCC; educator, Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, Wis.; ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.
Kyle Richardson, CEC, CCE; culinary arts professor, Joilet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet Chapter
Art Ritt, CFE; president, A Ritt Corporation, Deerfield, Ill.; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.
BJ Whitmore, CSC; executive chef, Bridge View Center, Ottumwa, Iowa; ACF Greater Des Moines Culinary Association
Gregory Wozniak, CEC, AAC; executive chef, Sendik's, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Inc.

Chosen for its arts, and historical and recreational attractions, Milwaukee was the location of the ACF Central Regional Conference, hosted by the ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, bringing an estimated 400 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city. The conference provided 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 offered participants the opportunity to learn about the latest cooking trends and techniques.

Sponsors of the 2007 ACF Central Regional Conference included: 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 included: Custom Culinary, Inc.; Nestlé FoodServices; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Splenda®; Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Unilever Foodsolutions. Demo/seminar sponsors included: 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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PHOTOS CAN BE OBTAINED BY CONTACTING PATRICIA CARROLL AT pcarroll@acfchefs.net OR BY CALLING (800) 624-9458 EXTENSION 147.