Press Release

Award Winners Announced at 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference

More than 600 Chefs and Cooks Attended ACF’s Conference in Boston

St. Augustine, Fla., February 10, 2009—The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and chapters at the 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference held at the Westin Boston Waterfront, Boston, February 7–9.

The 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference award recipients listed below will compete for national titles against their winning regional counterparts at the 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla., July 11–14.

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
Joseph Leonardi, CEC; executive chef, Somerset Club, Boston; ACF Rhode Island Chapter

ACF Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda®
Megan Ketover, CPC; pastry chef, Bakery Hill at Midwest Culinary Institute, Cincinnati; ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter

ACF Chef Educator of the Year
Thomas Griffiths, CMC; associate dean of global cuisines, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Hyde Park, N.Y.; Mid Hudson Culinary Association

ACF Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award
Pierre Rausch, CEC, AAC; retired, Pottstown, Pa.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

ACF Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Nestlé Professional
Dale Miller, CMC, WGMC, AAC; general manager/executive chef, The Inn at Erlowest, Lake George, N.Y.; ACF Capital District–Central New York

ACF Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Brianne Slocum; student, State University of New York at Delhi, Delhi, N.Y.; ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by Pearson Education
ACF Greater Baltimore Chapter; Baltimore International College, Baltimore: Carrie Britain; Megan Cirincione; Kevin Keller; Adam Lewis; and Jeffrey Lyons. The team is coached by Faith Kling, CEC.

ACF Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
ACF Pittsburgh Chapter: Joseph Allison; Evan Blocker; Tristan Haseler; Christine Shipe; and Brian Sorce. The team is coached by Art Inzinga, CEC, CCE, AAC.

The 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

ACF Chapter of the Year
ACF Pittsburgh Chapter; Pittsburgh

ACF Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Akron-Canton Area Cooks and Chefs Association; Akron, Ohio
ACF Cape Code & The Islands Chefs Association; Cape Cod, Mass.
ACF Casco Bay Culinary Association; South Portland, Maine
ACF Columbus Chapter; Columbus, Ohio
ACF Down East Chapter Inc.; Bangor, Maine
ACF Epicurean Club of Boston; Boston
ACF First State Chefs Association; Wilmington, Del.
ACF Great Bay New Hampshire Chapter; Durham, N.H.
ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter; Cincinnati
ACF Long Island Chapter; Long Island, N.Y.
ACF Nation’s Capital Chef’s Association; Washington, D.C.
ACF New England Culinary Institute; Essex Junction, Vt.
ACF Northern New Jersey Chapter
ACF of Greater Buffalo New York; Buffalo, N.Y.
ACF Pittsburgh Chapter; Pittsburgh
ACF Philadelphia Chapter; Philadelphia
ACF Professional Chefs & Cooks Association of Rochester; Rochester, N.Y.
ACF Professional Chefs of Northeast Pennsylvania; Scranton, Pa.
ACF Rhode Island Chapter; Providence, R.I.
ACF Susquehanna Valley Chefs Association; Lancaster, Pa.
Maumee Valley Chefs Chapter ACF; Toledo, Ohio

ACF President’s Medallions
Jeffrey D. Barr; chef, U.S. Foodservice, Ashland, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
Murray Long, CCE; executive chef-instructor, McIntosh Atlantic Culinary Academy, Dover, N.H.; ACF Great Bay New Hampshire Chapter
Perrin Long, CEC, CCE, AAC; educator, Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, N.H.; ACF Piscataqua Chapter
Linda Musch, CCE, AAC; chef-instructor, Chariho Area Career and Technical Center, Wood River Junction, R.I.; ACF Rhode Island Chapter
George O’Palenick, CEC, CCE, AAC; associate professor, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.; ACF Rhode Island Chapter
Thomas Recinella, CEC, AAC; culinary program director, State University of New York at Delhi, Delhi, N.Y.; ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains
Ming Tsai; owner, Blue Ginger, Wellesley, Mass.

American Academy of Chefs Chair’s Scholarship
Jonathan Moreira; student, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) Exemplary Programs
Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, Pa.; associate of applied science (AAS) degree in baking and pastry, apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship option; AAS degree in culinary arts, apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship option; and AAS degree in restaurant/culinary management

Chosen for its historic charm and vibrant culinary scene, Boston was the location of the 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference hosted by ACF Epicurean Club of Boston. Bringing more than 600 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 and cooking demonstrations featuring the latest trends and techniques. In addition, the conference offered participants the opportunity to compete in several cooking competitions.

Sponsors of the 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors include: American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; Beef Checkoff; Bon Chef, Inc.; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Cargill Salt; Chartwells; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Enviro-Solutions; Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; GFF, Inc./Girard’s Dressings; Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; Marine Farms Belize, Ltd.; Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association; Mind’s Eye Resource Management, LLC; National Honey Board; The National Pork Board and America’s Pork Producers; Nestlé Professional; New England Coffee Company; NewChef Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Pasta CHEF®; Pearson Education; RC Fine Foods; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rougié Foie Gras; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Sartori Food Corporation; Sid Wainer & Sons; Splenda®; Sysco Food Services; Tyson Food Service; U.S. Foodservice–Boston; Unilever Foodsolutions; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 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. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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For photos and interviews, contact Leah Craig at lcraig@acfchefs.net or call (800) 624-9458, ext. 113.

Contact: Leah Craig
Public Relations Specialist
(800) 624-9458, ext. 113
lcraig@acfchefs.net

• Award Winners Announced at 2009 ACF Northeast Regional Conference