It's All about Sharing

By John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC

As I write this article, I am preparing to go to Dubai to represent you, the American Culinary Federation, and all its great members, on the world stage. We have been honored to be the holder of the presidium of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) since 2006, and by the time you read this, we will know whether Norway or Singapore will be the next presidium holder. My compliments, on behalf of all our members, to Ferdinand Metz, CMC, AAC, HOF, presidium president, Edward Leonard, CMC, AAC, vice president, and Edwin Brown, HAAC, HHOF, secretary general, for their dedication and service to all the chefs and cooks in the world who depend on organizations such as WACS to develop and enhance their careers.

In the United States in the past year we have seen a diminishing return on our salaries and the revenues our industry produces. Unfortunately, we are going to see more restaurants go out of business than ever before. When we are in the good times, there is an unfortunate saying in the industry: Volume cures an awful lot of ills. During these periods, we tend to ignore some of the warning signs of not keeping tight controls on our purchasing and labor expenses. I often think, as human beings, we like the comfortable feeling we have when we are successful, but this causes us to let down our guard, and eventually, it will come back to haunt us. As an educator, I am seeing more people returning to school for retraining and to take courses to enhance their skills. This is why the ACF board of directors has invested in the expansion of educational opportunities for our members, so that they can survive in this competitive economy.

One of the greatest strengths of the American Culinary Federation at both our regional conferences and national convention is the networking opportunities that are available with some of the top professionals in the United States. I encourage everyone to come to the 2008 ACF National Convention, July 14-17, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and expose themselves to great educational seminars, mega demos and, most of all, sharing our strengths to help each other. I have always believed that if we help the weakest member in the organization, we will strengthen ourselves, also. In many of the articles I write, I encourage you to show a fellow member a new skill or a way of strengthening an old one. This will help us to retain members, strengthen our profession and make us part of the wider society of culinarians who care for each other.

In this modern world, no man or woman can be an island; we must work together for the betterment of all. We must ensure that our youth have a promising future in the foodservice profession, because if we do not, we will be like a tree that is not properly fed, and our federation will slowly die. I may sound morbid, but I assure you that the greatest strength we all have is our unique knowledge and understanding of our profession. Some societies believe that to grow, one has to give away strength to become stronger. My friends, this is what it's all about. It's about sharing, caring and, most of all, being true professionals. How we dress and how we act is the professional image the general public sees. Every one of us would like our 15 minutes of fame, but the fame I would like to seek is that I will be remembered as a person who cared enough to help another culinarian, and shared my knowledge and strength with a member, who said, "Chef. How do you do this?"

So, come to the 2008 ACF National Convention. You will not be disappointed. Instead, your professional life will be enhanced with great knowledge, new skills and, most of all, new friends.