2012 Team

Timothy Bucci, CEC, CCE, CHE, Oak Forest, Ill., is a chef/professor at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill. Before joining the college, he taught at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (now Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts). Previously, Bucci had worked in restaurants and hotels for 14 years, including as executive chef for House of Hughes, Crestwood, Ill. He graduated from Joliet Junior College’s culinary-arts program and has a bachelor’s degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management from Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Ind. Bucci earned an individual gold medal at the 2008 IKA. He has been an ACF member since 1984, and is a member of ACF Louis Joliet Chapter. He was the 2009 ACF Chef Educator of the Year.

Anthony “Ben” Grupe, St. Louis, is sous chef at Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis. In December 2009, he completed a three-year apprenticeship at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., which followed a one-year apprenticeship at The Racquet Club Ladue, St. Louis. He studied culinary arts/restaurant management at St. Louis Community College–Forest Park, from 2001 to 2005. He is a member of Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc., and in 2005, competed as a member of the chapter’s junior hot-food team.

Jennifer Kopp, CEPC, North Bethesda, Md., is executive pastry chef at Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Md., and was a member of 2008 ACF Culinary Regional Team USA. Her awards and recognitions include the ACF Northeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year Award in 2005 and 2010, and the ACF Nations Capital Chef of the Year Award in 2005. She also received the ACF Nations Capital Chef Professionalism Award in 2004, and served as chapter treasurer from 2004 to 2005. Kopp is a member of ACF Nations Capital Chefs Association.

Joseph Leonardi, CEC, Johnston, R.I., is executive chef at Somerset Club, Boston. He joined the club’s staff after eight years on the faculty of Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I. Previously he had been a research and development chef for Rich’s Sea-Pak, St. Simon’s Island, Ga. He has associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Johnson & Wales University. Leonardi was a member of the 2008 ACF Regional Team USA that earned a gold medal in the cold-food salon and was ranked No. 1 in the world out of 62 regional teams at the IKA. He is a member of ACF Rhode Island Chapter, and was the 2009 U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year™.

James “Kevin” Storm, CEC, CCA, AAC, Ballwin, Mo., has been executive chef at Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, since 1996. Before that, he held executive chef positions at Indian Hills Country Club, Mission Hills, Kan., and the University Club, St. Louis. He has a grand diploma from LaVarenne Ecole de Cuisine, Paris, and an associate degree from Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan. Storm was a coach for ACF Culinary Youth Team USA, which placed fourth overall in the world among youth teams at the 2008 IKA. He is a member of Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

Eddie Tancredi is sous chef at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Before that, he was sous chef at New Albany Country Club, New Albany, Ohio, and chef de cuisine at Rosendales, Columbus, Ohio. In 2003, he graduated from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Le Cordon Bleu Program in Culinary Arts, Pittsburgh, with an associate degree in specialized technology. He graduated from a three-year apprenticeship program at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., in 2007. Tancredi is a member of ACF Columbus Chapter.

High resolutions photos of the team members are available in the Media Photo Gallery.