ACF Today, Vol. III, No. 26
December 05, 2005



In this edition . . .

  • ACF Culinary Team USA Wins Two Gold Medals in Basel
  • 'Tis the Season - to buy cookbooks!
  • Ford Motor Company Pulls 'Chef' Ad - Update
  • Practice Certification Exams Now Available Online on eCulinary site
  • ACF Chef & Child Foundation Now Accepting Little Oscar Award Nominations
  • AAC Application Deadline Approaching
  • Louisiana Cookin' Magazine Helps ACF New Orleans Chapter to Keep Cookin'
  • Chefs to Celebrate Holiday in New Orleans



ACF Culinary Team USA Earns Two Gold Medals in Basel

ACF Culinary Team USA won a gold medal in the cold-food competition, which led to a second-place overall finish in cold-food, and a gold medal in the hot-food competition at the Salon Culinaire Mondial 2005 in Basel, Switzerland, November 19-23, 2005.

The Swiss culinary competition, which occurs once every six years, is one of the most important international culinary arts competitions for national teams of chefs. This year, the event featured teams from Canada, Czechia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Wales and the United States.

ACF Culinary Team USA is the official representative team of the United States in major international culinary competitions. The ACF Culinary Team USA competing at Basel boasts three certified master chefs, of which there are only 60 in the nation: team captain Edward G. Leonard, CMC, AAC, executive chef of Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; Joachim Buchner, CMC, executive chef of Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Md.; and Russell Scott, CMC, executive chef, Isleworth Country Club, Windermere, Fla. Other team members include U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year™ 2005 Richard Rosendale, CC, sous chef at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; Patricia Nash, pastry chef at Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y; and Jamie Keating, CCC, executive chef at Milliken & Company and chef/owner of Gourmet Events in LaGrange, Ga.



'Tis the Season - to buy cookbooks!

Preparing luscious meals for the holiday season is a favorite tradition of families everywhere. There is no better way to tell your loved ones that you appreciate their hard work than buying them Cooking with America's Championship Team: Sizzling Recipes from Chef Edward G. Leonard, CMC, and the American Championship Culinary Team.

The cookbook, which includes more than 100 recipes from the chefs who make up ACF Culinary Team USA 2005, is specially priced for the holidays. You may now get TWO cookbooks for only $30, plus shipping and handling. These cookbooks are the perfect gift for the cook in your life, as well as great gifts for holiday parties.

The holidays are almost upon us, so call (800) 624-9458, e-mail acf@acfchefs.net, or visit www.acfchefs.org to order your cookbooks now!



Ford Motor Company Pulls 'Chef' Ad - Update

After our announcement last week about Ford Motor Company pulling the 'Chef' ad from TV rotation, we received calls from across the country stating that the ad was still running. After a lengthy discussion with Ford spokesperson Jim Cain, he stated that the company reiterated to its national, regional and local advertising agencies on November 30th that the ad should be removed immediately from broadcast, never to be shown again.

We are asking our members to continue to be watchdogs for the ad, and to notify Lisa Alessandro at the ACF National Office immediately if you do see the ad on television. Thank you!



Practice Certification Exams Now Available Online on eCulinary site

Official ACF practice certification written exams are now available for purchase through ACF's eCulinary Professional Development Institute (www.acfchefs.org/eculinary). These practice exams serve to reinforce how much knowledge you have and how much you need to study. Each one of these level-specific practice certification exams resembles in style and composition the actual exams administered by LaserGrade, but are not actual exams. Passing these practice exams does not guarantee success in passing the actual ACF certification exams, but should give you a good indication of your readiness to take those exams. Your results are calculated immediately and can be printed directly from the 'Reports' area of the eCulinary Professional Development Institute. The reports will show the areas of strength and areas that will need additional review before taking the actual exam as part of the certification process. The cost is $49.95 and includes 30 days of unlimited access to the exam. Visit www.acfchefs.org/eculinary today to prepare for your future.



ACF Chef & Child Foundation Accepting Applications for Little Oscar Award

The ACF Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) Little Oscar awards recognize those ACF chapters that put forward an exceptional effort to advancing the mission of the ACF Chef & Child Foundation in its fight against childhood hunger and malnutrition. Applications may be downloaded from the ACF Web site at www.acfchefs.org/ccf/awards/liloscar.html. The deadline for submitting applications is Jan. 15, 2006. The national Little Oscar award winner will be selected from among the four regional winners at the ACF National Convention.

*In order to select a winner in time for the ACF Western Regional Conference, beginning on Feb. 2, 2006, all chapters in the Western Region must submit their CCF Little Oscar Award applications by Dec. 31, 2005.



AAC Application Deadline Nearing

ACF members who wish to apply for induction in 2006 into the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of ACF, should submit their applications and all materials to the AAC National Office by Dec. 31, 2005.

Requirements mandatory for consideration in the honor society include:

  • must be certified as an ACF master chef, master pastry chef, executive chef, executive pastry chef and/or culinary educator for a minimum of two years
  • must be in the culinary profession a minimum of 15 years, 10 of which must be at the executive chef or culinary educator level
  • must be an ACF member in good standing for a minimum of 10 years
  • must have attended four ACF regional conferences and/or national conventions within any 10-year period
  • must fulfill a minimum of 10 of 20 elective attainable goals
  • all requirements/goals must be met the year prior to induction

For more information or to request an application, please contact Laura Howell in the AAC National Office at 800-624-9458, ext. 102.



LOUISIANA COOKIN' Magazine Helps ACF New Orleans Chapter to Keep Cookin'

Louisiana Cookin' magazine is dedicated to supporting a renewal of the culinary industry and the glorious cuisine that have made New Orleans and Louisiana world-renowned. Many members of the New Orleans chapter of the American Culinary Federation were severely affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which recently hit Louisiana and the Gulf State areas. Louisiana Cookin' is devoted to helping the New Orleans chefs from the American Culinary Federation to Keep Cookin'.

Make gift giving count by supporting the Louisiana food scene and contributing to Katrina's culinary victims through subscription purchases of Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Louisiana Cookin' magazine will make a financial disaster relief donation to ACF New Orleans Chapter of $5 for each new subscription and/or gift order received with a promotional code of ACFNO by December 31, 2005. Orders can be placed online at www.louisianacookin.com or by calling 888.884.4114.



Chefs to Celebrate Holiday in New Orleans

The American Culinary Federation Foundation (ACFF) Disaster Relief Task Force and the ACF New Orleans Chapter will host a holiday party to support culinarians affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita on December 18, 2005, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel, located at 555 Canal Street.

The event is open to all ACF members, culinarians, restaurant owners and culinary educators in the Gulf Coast area and is intended to provide a day of relief to those affected by the storms. The event is supported by the Louisiana Restaurant Association and will feature dinner and entertainment for more than 200 guests from surrounding areas. Please RSVP to Sandy Riddle with the Louisiana Restaurant Association by Monday, Dec. 12th at 504-454-2277, or sriddle@lra.org

If you would like to donate a gift to be given to the party attendees, please contact Lynn Krause, (314) 581-2901.






©2007 American Culinary Federation

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