Press Release

More than 50 American Culinary Federation Chefs Join Fight Against Obesity and Head to the White House for “Chefs Move to Schools” Kickoff June 4

Chefs were chosen to join Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign and Sam Kass’ initiative to take nutrition message to schools across America.

St. Augustine, Fla., May 28, 2010—In May, the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the largest professional chefs organization in the U.S., was asked to play an integral part in Michelle Obama’s latest Let’s Move! campaign initiative, the Chefs Move to Schools program, which will be run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and led by Sam Kass, White House assistant chef and the food initiative coordinator. More than 50 ACF chefs will participate in the program’s kickoff at the White House Friday, June 4.

“We are going to need everyone’s time and talent to solve the childhood obesity epidemic, and our nation’s chefs have tremendous power as leaders on this issue because of their deep knowledge of food and nutrition and their standing in the community. I want to thank them for joining the Let’s Move! campaign,” said Michelle Obama in a White House blog posting May 13.

Chefs nationwide will get involved in the program by adopting a school in their community and working with teachers, parents, school nutrition professionals and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition. ACF, the National Restaurant Association and Share Our Strength will work with a select group of chefs participating in a pilot launch of the program over the summer. Volunteers will begin working in schools in the fall.

“The American Culinary Federation is honored to have been chosen as one of the key organizations in this White House initiative,” said Michael Ty, CEC, AAC, ACF national president. “The chefs who will participate in the pilot launch [noted below] were selected for their previous volunteerism with ACF and our Chef & Child Foundation. We are pleased that so many of our chefs will be at the White House for the kickoff, gathered with like-minded chefs who are passionate about promoting proper nutrition and fighting the obesity epidemic in America.”

The following chefs will represent ACF at the kickoff:

Arizona

• Joseph Kraft, CEC, CCA, AAC, Tucson, corporate executive chef, Morrison Healthcare Foodservices, Tucson
• Elizabeth Mikesell, CEC, AAC, Tucson, chef-instructor, Pima Community College, Tucson

Arkansas

• Ira Fingerman, Chicago, national manager, Lady Aster, Tyson Food Service, Springdale
• David Jetter, corporate chef, Tyson Food Service, Springdale
• Donald Walsh, director of culinary, foodservice, Tyson Food Service, Springdale

California

• Devin Alexander, Manhattan Beach, owner, Devin Alexander, Inc., Manhattan Beach

Colorado

• Michael DeGiovanni, CEC, Wheat Ridge, executive chef, MorningStar Senior Living, Lakewood
• Janet Etchart, CC, Lakewood, culinary instructor, Adams City High School, Commerce City
• Jeremy Glas, CEC, Conifer, food and beverage director/executive chef, The Riviera Casino, Black Hawk
• Robert Holloway, CEC, Broomfield, Colo., executive chef, McCoys, Denver
• Robert Hudson, CEC, CCE, Colorado Springs, instructor, Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs
• Andrew Lubatty, CEC, Englewood, executive chef, The Avenue Grill, Denver
• Jason Morse, CEC, Highlands Ranch, executive chef, Valley Country Club, Aurora
• Joseph Piazza, CEC, Greenwood Village, executive chef, Cherry Hills Country Club, Cherry Hills Village
• Michael Pizzuto, Arvada, retired

Delaware

• Paul O’Toole, CEC, AAC, Oxford, Pa., executive chef, Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club, Newark
• Charlene Zinnel, CSC, CCE, Seaford, culinary-arts instructor, Dorchester Career and Technology Center, Cambridge, Md.

Florida

• Bryan Frick, CEC, AAC, Orlando, corporate executive chef, Nestlé Professional, Orlando
• Chris Jones, Naples, executive chef, The Old Collier Golf Club, Naples
• Joel Schaefer, CCC, Jacksonville, chef/president, Allergy Chefs Inc., Jacksonville
• Mary Schaefer, CEPC, Jacksonville, program director, Culinard at Virginia College, Jacksonville
• David Pantone, CEC, CEPC, CCE, AAC, Royal Palm Beach, dean of culinary education, Lincoln Culinary Institute, West Palm Beach

Georgia

• Marvis Hinson, Savannah, retired culinary educator
• Heather Hurlbert, Atlanta, executive pastry chef, Cherokee Town and Country Club, Atlanta

Illinois

• Ira Fingerman, Chicago, national manager, Lady Aster, Tyson Food Service, Springdale, Ark.
• Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, Oak Park, dean, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago, vice president, Laureate International Universities
• Michael McGreal, CEC, CCE, Orland Park, culinary-arts department chair, Joliet Junior College, Joliet
• Kyle Richardson, CEC, CCE, AAC, New Lenox, culinary-arts instructor, Joliet Junior College, Joliet

Kentucky

• Derek Spendlove, CEPC, CCE, AAC, Louisville, chair, baking and pastry arts program, Sullivan University, Louisville

Maryland

• Robert D. Hedetniemi, CEC, Bluffton, S.C., executive chef, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda
• Susan Hendee, CCE, Ph.D., Baltimore, department chair, culinary arts, The Art Institute of Washington, Arlington, Va.
• Charlene Zinnel, CSC, CCE, Seaford, Del., culinary-arts instructor, Dorchester Career and Technology Center, Cambridge

Massachusetts

• Kevin Crawley, CEC, Dedham, chef-instructor, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.

Michigan

• Andy Bacigalupo, Midland, culinary-arts instructor, Bay-Arenac ISD School District, Bay City

Minnesota

• John Thompson, CEC, South St. Paul, executive chef, Minneapolis Club, Minneapolis

Missouri

• James Paul, CSC, CCE, St. Louis, director of operations, Billiken Dining Services, Saint Louis University, St. Louis

New Hampshire

• Damian Martineau, AAC, Bedford, owner, Damian’s On The River, New Boston

New York

• Gerard Molloy, CEPC, Seaford, facility director, Viking Culinary Center, Garden City
• Christopher Neary, CEC, CCA, AAC, East Rockaway, corporate executive chef, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, Holtsville
• Michael Speranza, CEC, Victor, corporate chef, Custom Culinary Inc., Victor

Nevada

• Thomas Trevethan, CEPC, North Las Vegas, pastry chef, Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas
• Christopher Johns, Las Vegas, executive chef, South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, Las Vegas

North Carolina

• Andrew McMillan, Winston-Salem, owner, The Stocked Pot Cooking School, Winston-Salem
• Donald McMillan, CEC, AAC, Lewisville, chef-instructor, The Stocked Pot Cooking School, Winston-Salem
• Dennie Streeter Veasey, CEC, CCE, Winston-Salem, culinary instructor, Triad Community Kitchen, Winston-Salem

Pennsylvania

• Maureen Costello-Garfolo, CEC, CCE, Pittsburgh, chef-instructor, Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
• Paul O’Toole, CEC, AAC, Oxford, executive chef, Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club, Newark, Del.
• Brian Peffley, CEPC, CCE, pastry-arts instructor, Lebanon, Lebanon County Career and Technology Center, Lebanon

Puerto Rico

• Israel Calderon, CEC, Guaynabo, executive chef, ICM Global Cuisine, Carolina

Rhode Island

• Kevin Crawley, CEC, Dedham, Mass., chef-instructor, Johnson & Wales University, Providence

South Carolina

• Margaret Condrasky, CCE, Ed.D, RD, Piedmont, associate professor of food service, Clemson University, Clemson
• Robert D. Hedetniemi, CEC, Bluffton, executive chef, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Utah

• Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., Draper, nutritional biochemist and executive producer, “Killer at Large,” Draper

Virginia

• Denise Baxter, CSCE, Vienna, culinary-arts instructor, Mountain View High School, Stafford
• Susan Hendee, Baltimore, department chair, culinary arts, The Art Institute of Washington, Arlington
• Monique Sorrell, Fort Lee, U.S. Army
• Sgt. Maj. David Turcotte, CEC, AAC, Fort Lee, U.S. Army

Washington

• Brad Everett, Kirkland, chef, Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, Seattle
• Morgan Medlock, Seattle, estate chef, Vulcan, Seattle
• Christopher Plemmons, CEC, AAC, Bremerton, chef-instructor, Olympic College, Bremerton

Washington, D.C.

• Daniel Traster, CCC, CCE, Washington, D.C., culinary director, Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show, Washington, D.C.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the first lady’s Chefs Move to Schools program,” said Pantone, one of the chefs traveling to the White House. “I am a strong believer that through proper diet and exercise a child can be better prepared for school, social activities and home life. I am proud to play my part in the fight against obesity by educating others and giving back to my community.”

For more information about the Let’s Move! campaign, visit www.letsmove.gov. For more information about the Chefs Move to Schools initiative, visit http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=14&tax_subject=225.

About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic 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.

# # #

Note: To arrange an interview with one of the participating chefs or an ACF representative, contact Leah Craig at (904) 484-0213, lcraig@acfchefs.net, or Patricia Carroll at (904) 484-0247, pcarroll@acfchefs.net.

Contacts: Leah Craig
Communications Manager
(904) 484-0213
lcraig@acfchefs.net

Patricia Carroll
Director of Communications
(904) 484-0247
pcarroll@acfchefs.net

• More than 50 American Culinary Federation Chefs Join Fight Against Obesity and Head to the White House for “Chefs Move to Schools” Kickoff June 4