ACF Today, Vol. II, No. 26
December 21, 2004

Happy holidays
from the
American Culinary Federation's
elected officers and staff!

 
 In this edition . . .

* ACF lists holiday hours of operation
* Deadline to nominate national ACF officers is Dec. 31
* AAC fellows may take advantage of professional development online
* Announcing candidates for 2005 Chef's Achievement Award
* Apply to compete in the 2005 Culinary Knowledge Bowl by Dec. 31
* Submit your chapter for the Chef & Child Foundation's "Little Oscar" awards by Jan. 15
* The National Culinary Review asks, "What did you learn after your first year on the job?"
* Sizzle magazine seeks avid student competitors to ask, "Why?"
* Calling all member news! Center of the Plate wants you . . .

Holiday Hours for ACF's National Office

Through the 2004 holiday season, the headquarters of the American Culinary Federation will be closed on the following days:
- Friday, Dec. 24
- Monday, Dec. 27
- Friday, Dec. 31
ACF will operate with regular hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET, on all other weekdays through the end of this year. As always, members can call ACF's toll-free number, (800) 624-9458, and e-mail to acf@acfchefs.net 24 hours a day. Of course, ACF's Web site, www.acfchefs.org, contains valuable information on most of our professional-development programs and events.

     The staff of the American Culinary Federation, Inc., wishes all federation members and partners a safe and joyous holiday season.

Dec. 31 Is Deadline to Nominate Chefs for National ACF Office and Academy of Chefs Office

The American Culinary Federation seeks nominations for all elected offices on its national board of directors, plus the offices of chair and vice-chair of the American Academy of Chefs. Nominations are open until December 31, 2004. Terms for ACF national office are four years, from mid-2005 to mid-2009. Terms for American Academy of Chefs offices are two years, from mid-2005 to mid-2007. Directors on ACF's board will begin their terms at the close of business at the annual Board of Governors' meeting at the 2005 ACF National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 3.

Seats for ACF national office are:
* President
* Vice President, Central Region
* Vice President, Northeastern Region
* Vice President, Southeastern Region
* Vice President, Western Region
* Secretary
* Treasurer

     Any active- or life-senior-category ACF member in good standing may nominate one or more active- or life-senior-category ACF members in good standing for one or more of the above seats.

Seats for Academy national office are:
* Chairman
* Vice-chairman

     Any Academy member in good standing may nominate one or more Academy members in good standing for one or both of the above seats.

Nominations must be in writing, and must be sent via U.S. mail or express service. Nominations postmarked later than December 31, 2004, will not be considered.

Written nominations must be mailed to:
Frederik J. Lucardie, CEC, AAC
3603 South MacDill Avenue
Tampa, FL 33629-8907

For more information, contact ACF at (800) 624-9458, acf@acfchefs.net.

Apply to Compete in Regional Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowls by Dec. 31

The deadline to apply to compete in the regional 2005 Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowls is December 31. Applications, available online at www.acfchefs.org/download/documents/awards/2005_Knowledge_Bowl.pdf, will be accepted by fax or mail. Registration fee is $100.00. Mailed applications must by postmarked by Dec. 31 and mailed to American Culinary Federation, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095. Applications will be accepted by fax to (904) 825-4758 until 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. For more information, contact ACF at (800) 624-9458, acf@acfchefs.net.

CIA and Ventura Foods Offer Continuing Education to Academy of Chefs Fellows

Fellows of the American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of ACF, may participate in online professional-development courses through The Culinary Institute of America's (CIA) MenuMasters® Center for Menu Research and Development, as well as receive full-tuition scholarships through Brea, Calif.-based Ventura Foods, LLC, beginning in early January 2005.

     Two of the courses offered, Marketing and Consumer Behavior in Menu Research and Development and The Culinary Art of Menu Research and Development, begin Jan. 10 and run seven and eight weeks, respectively. The other courses, Operational Logistics in Menu Research and Development and Food Science and Technology Applications in Menu Research and Development, begin Jan. 24 and span seven and eight weeks, respectively.

     Scholarships for full tuition will be awarded by the AAC Education Committee to qualified AAC fellows. In addition, ACF members who are not fellows of the Academy are invited to participate in the online courses and may be eligible for partial scholarships. Certificates will be awarded to all who successfully complete all four courses.

     AAC fellows should visit www.ciaprochef.com/menumasters for more information and to register for one or more courses; to apply for a full-tuition scholarship, fellows should download the application form from www.acfchefs.org and submit the completed application to the ACF's national office. ACF members who are not members of the Academy and wish to register for one or more courses and apply for a partial scholarship should visit www.ciaprochef.com/menumasters.

Apply for the 2005 CCF Little Oscar Award by Jan. 15

Chapters of the ACF Chef & Child Foundation are invited to apply for the 2005 Little Oscar Award, which recognizes exemplary work of ACF members in their communities. Regional winners will be announced at the 2005 Regional Conferences in the winter and spring; one of four regional winners will be named the national Little Oscar Award winner at ACF's 2005 National Convention in San Antonio, July 30-Aug. 3. To apply for the 2005 award, visit www.acfchefs.org/download/documents/awards/liloscar.pdf. Deadline to apply is Jan. 15, 2005. For more information, contact ACF at (800) 624-9458 or acf@acfchefs.net.

ACF Announces Candidates for 2005 Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award

This annual ACF award honors chefs who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to both the federation and culinary profession. Such chefs, through their involvement with and contributions to ACF and our craft, have advanced the culinary profession and ensured the enrichment of students, our members and those in our profession.

     Regional winners of this award are chosen by chapter vote, and will be announced at their respective regional conferences in the winter and spring. Of the four regional winners, a national winner will be announced at the 2005 ACF National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, July 30-Aug. 3.

     Any one of the following candidates is worthy to carry on the proud tradition of the chef for whom this award was named in 1993, Hermann G. Rusch, AAC (1907-1997).

Central Region

Albert I.M. Imming, CMPC, CCE, AAC
ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

Steven Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC
ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc.

Northeastern Region

Paul A. Amaral, CEC, CCE
ACF Cape Cod and The Islands

Anthony M. Graffeo, CEC, AAC
Epicurean Club of Boston

Phil Learned, CEC, AAC
ACF Chapter of Northern New Hampshire

Southeastern Region

John M. Lundbom, CEC
ACF Kentucky Chapter

Arthur Moyel, CEC, AAC,
ACF Greater Miami Chapter Epicurean Club

Western Region

John R. Fisher, CEC, CCE, AAC
ACF Washington State Chefs Association

The National Culinary Review Asks, "What Did You Learn After Your First Year in the Kitchen?"

ACF seeks members who can look back to completing that first year of a new career. What do you wish you'd known starting out? ACF's magazine for foodservice students, Sizzle, features a regular department titled "Everything I Need to Know I Didn't Learn in Class," in which recent apprentice and culinary-program grads tackle that same issue. So NCR asks of our professional members: What about you? What do you wish you'd studied harder, or what would have been nice to know before embarking on a career path of professional cooking? Journalist Ellen Birkett-Morris would like to know, for an upcoming NCR feature. Contact Ellen directly at (502) 473-7588 or e-mail morrisellen@bellsouth.net.

Sizzle Asks Students: "Do You Compete? If So, Why?"

Sizzle, ACF's quarterly magazine for students of cooking, will explore the value of culinary competition in an upcoming feature. Competing involves a lot of effort, sweat and, sometimes, tears. Why should students do it? How does it help them prepare for the real world? What's the professional payoff of a résumé filled with competition? Is it only regarded highly by employers when medals result? Or are competitions worthwhile merely for the experience? Journalist Suzanne Hall seeks student competitors who compete regularly or competed recently. What did you learn, if anything, that school or apprenticeship alone didn't teach? Suzanne is also interested in hearing from professional cooks who, in any way, encourage or work with student competitors. Contact her directly by e-mail at hall1958@aol.com.

Center of the Plate Seeks Member News!

ACF's monthly newsletter, Center of the Plate, seeks news from ACF members of any accolade: a new job, promotion, civic citation, top place in a cook-off, special award or publicity, etc., for our new "Newsmakers" section. ACF is all about its members, and we want to hear from you! Please send your name, certification, chapter, job title and place of business, with the news you'd like to share, to Katie Ayoub at copeditor@acfchefs.net, or call Katie at (800) 624-9458, x301.

©2007 American Culinary Federation

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