ACF Culinary National Team USA

Culinary Team USA is preparing to face more than 40 other countries in the IKA “culinary Olympics” in Erfurt, Germany this October. Help them bring home the gold.

Edward G. Leonard, CMC, AAC - Team Manager

Edward Leonard, CMC, AAC, is executive chef at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. He is the American Culinary Federation’s immediate past president, and one of only 59 certified master chefs (CMCs) in the United States. In addition, he is manager of ACF Culinary Team USA and was team captain when the team finished with a gold medal in hot-food cooking at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung in Erfurt, Germany, in 2004.

Leonard, a member of ICA-ACF Big Apple Chapter, has extensive experience as a speaker, manager, cook, restaurant owner, executive chef and educator. In May 2005 he received an honorary doctorate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.

Richard Rosendale, CEC - Team Captain

Richard Rosendale, CEC, opened Rosendales, a modern American restaurant, in Columbus, Ohio, in March 2007. Rosendale was formerly top chef at the award-winning Tavern Room at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. He has competed in many national and international culinary competitions, amassing more than 35 medals. Rosendale was honored as the U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year™ for 2005 at the ACF national convention, and was one of five chefs who represented the United States at the 2004 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung in Erfurt, Germany. He is a member of American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Chapter. He graduated first in his class in an ACF apprenticeship program in 1997 at Westmoreland Community College in Youngwood, Pa. In addition, he is a certified professional ice carver.

Joachim Buchner, CMC

Joachim Buchner, CMC, is executive chef at Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Md., and a member of American Culinary Federation (ACF) Nations Capital Chefs Association. Before joining the club, Buchner worked at the Dusseldorf Hilton in Germany. To broaden his horizons and in a quest for adventure, Buchner came to the United States in 1983. His experience working in small specialty restaurants and large established hotels led him to open restaurants for several new hotels.

In 1987 Buchner returned to Germany to complete the required coursework and testing for the German master-chef certification. Three years later, he earned his certified master chef (CMC) designation. He has won numerous medals, awards and prizes, and has competed in many national and international culinary competitions, including the 2005 Salon Culinaire Mondial in Basel, Switzerland. Buchner was a member of ACF Culinary Team USA 2004, which took home two gold medals in hot food and cold food.

Jamie Keating

Jamie Keating is chef/owner of Gourmet Events, a catering company at RiverMill Event Center in Columbus, Ga. He is a member of American Culinary Federation (ACF) Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc. Keating has earned more than 25 national and international culinary medals, including three gold medals at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung in Erfurt, Germany, in 2004 as part of ACF Regional Culinary Team USA, and two gold medals in the hot-food and cold-food categories at the 2005 Salon Culinaire Mondial in Basel, Switzerland, with ACF Culinary Team USA 2004.

Keating received his formal education from Paul Smith’s College in New York. Additional education was at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif. He apprenticed at Arpège (Michelin three stars) and Le Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Paris, France.

Mellisa K. Root

Mellisa K. Root is a pastry chef at Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. At an early age, Root would go through her mother’s cookbooks and plan menus. Those feelings of enjoyment led her to become a chef and are the driving force behind her desire to excel in her craft. Throughout her career, Root has earned numerous medals in many national competitions, as well as gold and silver medals at the American Culinary Classic held at the 2007 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, the most prestigious international culinary competition in the United States.

Root has continued her career by working alongside and learning from many of the nation’s top culinary and pastry-arts experts, including François Payard; Laurent Branlard; Darrin Aoyama, CEPC; Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC; Michael Joy; and Ewald Notter. Formerly, she was the pastry chef at the acclaimed River Oaks Country Club in Houston. Root attended the baking and pastry-arts program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Root is a member of American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Chapter.

Daniel Scannell, CMC

Daniel Scannell, CMC, executive chef at Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth, R.I., has had a long and distinguished career in culinary arts, beginning in 1972. During the past seven years, Scannell has competed in international culinary competitions as a member of ACF Culinary Team USA 2000 and ACF Culinary Team USA 2004. In 2003, he became one of only 61 certified master chefs in the United States, and in 2007, was named ACF Northeast Region Chef of the Year.

Before taking his current position, Scannell was executive chef at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in foodservice management from Johnson & Wales University, and received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2006. He is a member of the Epicurean World Master Chef Society, Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and Les Amis d'Escoffier Society.

Meet the Other Teams

Regionals | Youth