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Press ReleaseChefs de Cuisine Association of Hawaii Honolulu Students Named National Student Team Champions at 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla.St. Augustine, Fla., July 17, 2009—After eight months of practice, and with only a 0.09 percent lead, five American Culinary Federation (ACF) student culinarian members from Honolulu received gold medals and were named American Culinary Federation (ACF) 2009 National Student Team Champions. The competition, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc., took place at the 2009 ACF National Convention held at the Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, Fla., July 11–14. “We have had an incredible journey. It is still just unbelievable,” said the team’s coach Frank Leake, CCC, CCE, after the President’s Grand Ball, July 14, where the team was named the winner. ”The tagline now is, ‘What does the national student team do after they win the title?’ The answer is, they go to Disney World. We are going to Epcot tomorrow and having lunch with Jerome Bocuse.” This is the first time a team from Hawaii has made it to the national competition. The team comprises the following student culinarian members of Chefs de Cuisine Association of Hawaii Honolulu, students at Kapi’olani Community College in Honolulu: Anna Hirano, Keaka Lee, Tate Nakano-Edwards, San Shoppell and Rena Suzuki. “When I realized we were the winners, I thought, ‘We did it,’” said Shoppell, team captain. “We are our own worst critiques. We know that everything wasn’t perfect, but we worked really hard and did our best. We went in wanting to be winners, and we came out winners.” The Student Team Championship is designed to raise the standards of culinary excellence and professionalism among students, promote camaraderie and educational opportunities, and act as a staging area for research and development of culinary concepts. This year, student teams from Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania competed for the national title during the national covention trade show. Each team first competed and won at state and regional levels. In the national competition, teams prepared a four-course signature menu, with 24 portions of each course. Teams had three hours and 20 minutes to prep and cook, and 40 minutes to plate up and serve. There was a 30-minute setup window and a 30-minute cleanup window. In second place, with a score of 36.76 and earning a gold medal, was ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association. Team members are students from Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich.: Marina Baditoi, Richard Kallis, Edward Kim, Justin Lucas and Brandon Wolschleger. The team was coached by Kevin Gawronski, CMC. ACF Western North Carolina Culinary Association took home a silver medal with a score of 33.5. Team members are students from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, N.C.: Michael Aanonsen, Shannon Ginn, Steven Goff, Anna McClintock and Travis McCloud. The team was coached by Charles deVries, CEPC. Finally, earning a bronze medal with a score of 30.46 was ACF Pittsburgh Chapter. Team members are: Joseph Allison, Evan Blocker, Tristan Haseler, CC, Christine Shipe and Brian Sorce. The team was coached by Art Inzinga, CEC, CCE, AAC. Orlando was the location of the 2009 ACF National Convention, bringing hundreds of chefs, cooks, students and foodservice professionals to the Sunshine State. The national convention provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative workshops and seminars, cutting-edge demonstrations, a trade show featuring more than 100 exhibitors, national competitions and ACF’s annual national awards. Sponsors of the 2009 ACF National Convention are: Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC; American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; Barry Callebaut; Beef Products, Inc.; BelGioioso Cheese Inc.; Berkshire Pork Products, LLC; Bon Chef, Inc.; Bunge Oils; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Casa DiLisio Products, Inc.; Chartwells; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; Chicago School of Chocolate Molding; CleanFish; Cleveland Range, LLC; Contessa Premium Foods; The Culinary Institute of America; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Demeyere; Diamond Crystal; Dole Packaged Foods, LLC; Dow AgroSciences; Ecolab; Eggland’s Best; GFF, Inc./Girard’s Dressings; Gordon Food Service; Guittard Chocolate Co.; Hass Avocado Board; Hormel; i-COOK Professional; Indian Harvest; The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes; The Investing Chef; J.R. Simplot Company; Johnson & Wales University; Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; La Brea Bakery; Lavazza Italy’s Favourite Coffee; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Nestlé Professional; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Pasta CHEF®; Pearson Education; Plugra; RC Fine Foods; Riviana Foods Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; S & D Coffee; San Jamar; Saputo Cheese; Schwan’s Food Service; Splenda®; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; Victorinox Commercial Cutlery; Vita-Mix Corp.; The Vollrath Company, LLC; 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, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org. # # # To arrange an interview or for a high-res photo, contact Leah Craig at (800) 624-9458, ext. 113, or Patricia Carroll at ext. 147. Email lcraig@acfchefs.net or pcarroll@acfchefs.net. Contact: Patricia Carroll Leah Craig |
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