AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE

CULINARY WINNERS HONORED AT 57th ANNUAL
AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION NATIONAL CONVENTION

St. Augustine, Fla., July 25, 2007-The American Culinary Federation (ACF) awarded national culinary awards at the 2007 ACF National Convention, the largest gathering of culinarians in the United States, July 21-24 in Orlando.

More than 2,100 chefs, culinarians and foodservice representatives attended the ACF national convention, which featured a trade show with 125 plus exhibitor booths, professional development seminars, unique culinary demonstrations, the sold-out second annual Certified Master Chefs dinner, national-award presentations and culinary competitions.

Culinarians from each ACF Region-Central, Northeast, Southeast and Western-who earned the right to compete at national convention by winning local, state and regional competitions, competed for national awards. The national winners were:

U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
J. Kevin Walker, certified master chef (CMC); executive chef, Cherokee Town & Country Club, Atlanta; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter, Inc.

ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda®
Patricia Nash; pastry chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; Chefs Association of Westchester and Lower Connecticut

ACF National Chef Educator of the Year
Norman Hart, certified executive chef (CEC), certified culinary educator (CCE), American Academy of Chefs (AAC); culinary instructor, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

ACF National Student Culinarian of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Carol Chandler, certified culinarian (CC; University of Montana College of Technology, Missoula, Mont.; ACF Montana Chefs Association

ACF National Student Team Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
ACF Western North Carolina Culinary Association; Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Asheville, N.C. - Michelle Bailey; Daniel Gorman; Matthew Gruber; Jason Huang, captain; and Chambli Stuber. Team coach, Bronwen McCormick.

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Nestlé FoodServices
Michael Beriau, CEC, AAC; executive chef, White Cliffs Country Club, Plymouth, Mass.; ACF Montana Chefs Association

Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Louis Perrotte, CEC, AAC; chef/owner, Le Coq Au Vin, Orlando; ACF Central Florida Chapter

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

In addition, Aidan Murphy, CMC, AAC, the recipient of the 2006 U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions, representing the United States, was named the winner of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Global Chefs Challenge Continental Finals for the Americas, which took place at the Orlando Culinary Academy. Murphy, executive chef at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis and a member of the ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, Inc., competed against 12 chefs from the Americas. He will compete against international representatives from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and three European regions for the world title at the 33rd World Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 12-15, 2008.

Sponsors of the WACS Global Chefs Challenge are: Unilever Foodsolutions, global sponsor; R. L. Schreiber, Inc.; Cheney Brothers, Inc. Food Service Distributor; Culinary Classics; Gary's Seafood; Harvill's Produce; Royal Doulton China; and NewChef Fashion, Inc., official outfitter.

Other awards presented at the convention include the following by the American Academy of Chefs (AAC):

AAC Culinary Hall of Fame Celebrated Chef
James Beard, inducted posthumously. The award was accepted on behalf of the James Beard Foundation by Norman Van Aken, chef/proprietor of Norman's, Orlando, Fla.

Thomas Keller, chef/owner, The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.

AAC Chair's Medal
Thomas Macrina, CEC, certified culinary administrator (CCA), AAC, executive chef, Desmond Great Valley Hotel and Conference Center, Malvern, Pa. ACF Philadelphia Chapter

The convention also served as the location for the finals of the ACF Culinary Youth Team USA culinary competition to determine the new youth team. The ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, Inc. team, comprised of Michael Bush, John Gelineau, Mike Palazzola, Wayne Sieve and Kevin Taylor, was named the new youth team. They will compete alongside the ACF Culinary Team USA national and regional teams at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung International Culinary Art Competition, known as the "Culinary Olympics", in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 19-22, 2008.

Sponsors of the 2007 ACF National Convention are: Custom Culinary™; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Nestlé FoodServices North America; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Splenda®, Tyson Foods, Inc.; Unilever Foodsolutions; The Art Institutes; Buckhead Beef Company; Cleveland Range, LLC; Santé -The Magazine for Restaurant Professionals; Contessa Premium Foods; Ecolab; Federation of Québec Maple Syrup Producers; Johnson & Wales University; U.S. Foodservice; American Lamb Board; Boggiatto Produce, Inc.; Butterball Farms, Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; GFF,Inc./Girard's Dressings; Hass Avocado Board; Maine Lobster Promotion Council; Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board; Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, LLC; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC; RC Fine Foods; Schulstad Royal Danish Pastry; The Soyfoods Council; J. R. Simplot Company; Sweet Street Desserts; and Chef Designs.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in America. With more than 19,000 members spanning 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 U.S. 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.

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