Press Release
Award Winners Announced at 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference
More than 400 Chefs and Cooks Attended ACF's
Conference in Salt Lake City
St. Augustine, Fla., April 24, 2008 - The
American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), the largest association of
professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and
chapters at the 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference held at the Hilton
Salt Lake City Center, Salt Lake City, April 19-21.
The 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed
below will compete for the national title against their winning regional
counterparts at the 2008 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, July
14-17.
U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™, sponsored by
Unilever Foodsolutions
Bernhard Gotz, executive chef, Little America
Hotel, Salt Lake City; ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter, Inc.
ACF Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by
Splenda®
Loïc Laffargue, executive pastry chef,
Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino, Lakeside, Calif.; ACF Chefs and
Culinarians of San Diego
ACF Chef Educator of the Year
Robert Hudson, CEC, CCE; department chair for
culinary programs; Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs,
Colo.; ACF Pikes Peak Chapter
ACF Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement
Award
William Franklin, CMC, AAC; corporate
executive chef, Nestlé FoodServices, Glendale, Calif.; ACF Colorado
Chefs Association
ACF Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by
Nestlé Professional™
Peter Hodgson, CEC; executive chef, Salt Lake
City Marriott University Park, Salt Lake City; ACF Beehive Chefs
Chapter, Inc.
ACF Student Culinarian of the Year, sponsored by
Custom Culinary, Inc.
Lindsay Kinateder, student, Johnson &
Wales University, Denver; ACF Colorado Chefs Association
Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl,
sponsored by Pearson Prentice Hall
Broadmoor Hotel and Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.: Phillip Becker; Mikki
Butler; Chantel Chupa; Lucas Glau; Monica
Richardson; Robert Huckels, coach
ACF Student Team Regional Championship,
sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
ACF Orange Empire Chefs and Professional Cooks Association; Orange Coast
College, Costa Mesa, Calif.: Brodie Curtis;
Caitlin Knoop; Conrad
Malaya; Brent Omeste; Chad Urata; William
Barber, coach
The 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed
below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and
goodwill.
ACF Chapter of the Year
ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
ACF President's Medallions
Carol Chandler, CC; cook, University of
Montana College of Technology, Missoula, Mont.; ACF Montana Chefs
Association
Michael DeGiovanni, executive chef, Libby
Bortz Retirement Community, Littleton, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs
Association
Donald Dickinson, CEC, CCA, AAC; culinary
division director, Institute of Technology, Roseville, Calif.; ACF
California Capital Chefs Association
Peter Hodgson, CEC; executive chef, Salt Lake
City Marriott - University Park, Salt Lake City; ACF Beehive Chefs
Chapter, Inc.
Bruce Staebler, CEC, AAC; Clovis, Calif.; The
ACF Chefs Association of San Joaquin Valley
Garry Waldie, CEC, CCE, CEPC, AAC; chef
instructor, Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Scottsdale, Ariz.; ACF Valley
of the Sun Chef's Association
Freedom Chefs Challenge Winner
Rene Marquis, CEC, CCE, PCEC, AAC; executive
chef, U.S. Army, Tampa, Fla.; Old Dominion ACF Chapter
David Turcotte, CEC, executive chef, U.S.
Army, Alexandria, Va.; Old Dominion ACF Chapter
American Academy of Chefs Chair's
Scholarship
Victoria J. Maxfield, Tremonton, Utah;
student, Utah Valley State College, Orem, Utah; ACF Beehive Chefs
Chapter, Inc.
Chef & Child Committee Little Oscar
Award
ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs de Cuisine, Inc. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Certificates of Appreciation
Richard Burr, CEC; executive chef, Spirit
Mountain Casino, McMinnville, Ore.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of
Oregon
Thomas Campbell, CEC; culinary program
director, University of Montana College of Technology, Potomac, Mont.;
ACF Montana Chefs Association
Alfonso Contrisciani, CMC, AAC; executive
chef/owner, Mozambique Restaurants, Laguna Beach, Calif.; ACF Orange
Empire Chefs and Professional Cooks Association
Urs Emmenegger, CEC; executive chef, LaJolla
Marriott, San Diego; ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego
David Goodwin, CEC, CCA, AAC; senior executive
chef/director of food and beverage, Carson Valley Inn, Minden, Nev.; ACF
High Sierra Chefs Association
Shawn Hanlin, CEC; executive director, Oregon
Coast Culinary Institute, Coos Bay, Ore.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society
of Oregon Coos Bay
John Hui, CEPC, AAC; corporate pastry chef,
Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.; ACF Chefs of Las Vegas
Rodney Jessick; executive chef, Coeur d'Alene
Resort, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; ACF Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland
Northwest
Bobby Moghaddam, CEC, CCE; director
hospitality management and culinary arts, Riverside Community College,
Riverside, Calif.; ACF Southern California Inland Empire Chefs &
Cooks Association
Mial Parker, CEC, CCE; department
chair/culinary instructor, Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell,
Calif.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of California
Christopher Plemmons, CEC; chef instructor,
Olympic College Culinary Arts, Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State
Chefs Association
Joel Thompson; corporate executive chef, Sysco
Food Services of Ventura, Oxnard, Calif.; ACF Channel Islands Chefs
Association
Steven Walk, CEC: instructor/coordinator,
Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla, Wash.; ACF Northwest Wine
Country Chapter
Eric Watson, CCC, CEC; instructor, The
International Culinary School At The Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix;
ACF Chefs Association of Greater Phoenix
Whitney Werner, CEC, CCA; executive chef, The
Beach Club, Los Angeles; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of
California
Chosen for its unique combination of natural recreation and
metropolitan attractions, Salt Lake City was the location of the 2008
ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter,
Inc. Bringing more than 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 2008 ACF Western Regional Conference and national
award sponsors include: Barber Foods; Buckhead Beef Company; Butterball
Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.;
Contessa Premium Foods; Custom Culinary, Inc.; GFF, Inc./Girard's
Dressings; Guittard Chocolate Co.; La Brea Bakery; Lactalis Foodservice,
Inc; Lobster Select; Mann's Fresh Vegetables; MARS Foodservices; Mind's
Eye Resource Management, LLC; Nestlé Professional; New Mexico
Department of Agriculture; NEWCHEF Fashions; Nueske's Applewood Smoked
Meats; Pearson Prentice Hall; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rubbermaid
Commercial Products; Seaboard Foods; Splenda®; SYSCO Food
Services-Intermountain; Tyson Food Service; U.S. Food and Drug
Administration; Unilever Foodsolutions; Utah's Own; and Wisconsin Milk
Marketing Board.
The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the
premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With
20,000 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 most
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 eight
million members globally. For more information, please 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, ext. 147.
Contact: Patricia Carroll
Communications Director
(800) 624-9458, ext. 147
pcarroll@acfchefs.net
