ACF Today, Vol. III, No. 27
December 20, 2005

In this edition . . .

• Deadline for Best Registration Rate for Northeast Regional Conference is Jan. 15, 2006
• 2006 Chef Award Nominees-Part One
• Sizzle Reaps Awards
• NCR Quizzes Now Available Online at eCulinary
• Take Part in Two Seminars During This Year's Regional Conferences
• ACF Chef & Child Foundation Now Accepting Little Oscar Award Nominations
• AAC Application Deadline is Here
• The History Channel Seeks Food Historian

The conference, which is being hosted by ACF of Greater Buffalo, in partnership with The Escoffier Society of Toronto, will be held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), March 16-19, 2006. And, registration is now available online-just visit www.acfchefs.org, click on the Events link and then the Regional Conferences sublink to register.

Congratulations to the following individuals who have been nominated from their regions for the following 2006 ACF awards:

Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award:

Northeast:
Anthony Graffeo, CEC, AAC
F. Stanley Jones, CEC, AAC
Timothy Tain, CEC, CCE, AAC
William Tufarolo, CEC, AAC
Louis Venezia, CEC, AAC

Southeast:
George Pastor, Ed.D, CEC, CCE, AAC

Central:
Michael Garbin, CEC, AAC
Fred Griesbach, CEC

West:
Jesse Bartyzal, CEC, AAC
Murat Day, CEC, AAC
Jacob Elmer, CEPC, AAC
Michael Gaines, CEC
Jon Greenwalt, CEC, AAC, HOF

Chef Professionalism Award:

Northeast:
Brad Barnes, CMC, CCA, AAC
Rico DiFronzo, CEC, AAC
Dorothy Johnston, CEC, CCE

Southeast:
Desmond D'Souza, CEC
Brian Sode, CEC

Central:
Kevin Gawronski, CMC
Thomas Hiestand, CEC
Edward Janousek, Jr., CEC
Ewart Jones, CEC, AAC
Jose Luna, CEC, AAC

West:
Joe Eidem, CEC, AAC
John Romano, CEC, AAC

Chef Educator of the Year Award:

Northeast:
Frank Costantino, CEC, CCE, AAC
Arthur Inzinga, CEC, CCE, AAC
Gerard Murphy, CEC, CCE
Gerald Scanlan, CEC, CCE, AAC
James Taylor, CEC, AAC

Southeast:
G. Michael Harris, CEC, CCE, AAC

Central:
Kevin Enright, CEC, CCE, AAC
Ted Hirschi, CEC, CCE
Renee Zonka, MBA, RD, CEC, CHE

West:
Robert Gregson, CEC, CCE
Raimund Hofmeister, CMC, AAC
Frank Leake, CCC, CCE

Sizzle Reaps Awards

Recently, an article published in Sizzle: The American Culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of Cooking received the Annual International Cordon d'or Gold Ribbon award in the Culinary Article category among entries representing several nations. The award honored the cover feature, "Extreme Sport--Culinary Study Aboard," written by Ginny Marcin and published in Sizzle's Summer 2005 edition. John Minniti, CCE, AAC, chairman of the American Academy of Chefs, accepted the award on Marcin's behalf at a luncheon and ceremony in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Dec. 8.

The Cordon d'or Gold Ribbon award was the second distinction for excellence in publishing received by Sizzle this year. Sizzle received an Award for Publication Excellence in the New Magazines & Journals category of the 17th-annual awards program of APEX, sponsored by Communications Concepts' Writing that Works.

NCR Quizzes Now Available Online at eCulinary

ACF's eCulinary Professional Development Institute offers monthly National Culinary Review quizzes, which allow members an alternative means for earning educational credit. Users who pass the online quizzes will not only earn credit, but will be able to print a certificate of completion directly from the eCulinary Institute. These certificates can be used as documentation for ACF initial and renewal certification packets. Visit www.acfchefs.org/eculinary for more eCulinary opportunities.

Take Part in Two Seminars During This Year's Regional Conferences

ACF will offer two exciting seminars, Judging Competitions and Basics of Student Team Competition, at each of the four regional conferences in 2006. The Basics of Student Team Competition seminar is geared toward managers and coaches of student teams, while the Judging Competitions seminar is designed for chef members interested in becoming ACF-approved judges. 2006 will mark the first time the judging competitions seminar has been offered at a regional conference in more than seven years. Don't miss out on either opportunity! For more information, see the below descriptions, or call the ACF National Office at 800-624-9458.

Judging Competitions
This seminar is required for chef members interested in becoming ACF-approved judges, as well as those wishing to maintain status as approved judges. During the seminar, chefs will receive the training and information necessary to accurately judge, score and critique competitors. There will be a written test at the end of the seminar. Judge candidates must be ACF members in good standing, be certified at the CSC level or higher, have won at least three gold medals and be approved for training by the chair of the Culinary Competition Committee. Attendees must have registered in advance with the national office and have an approved application on file.

Basics of Student Team Competition
This seminar, designed primarily for managers and coaches of student teams, as well as students, will explain the newly revised student-team competition guidelines, which go into effect July 2006. The basics of forming a team and fund-raising ideas will also be presented.

The ACF Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) Little Oscar awards recognize those ACF chapters that put forth 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 is Here

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 the AAC National Office at 800-624-9458, ext. 102.

The History Channel Seeks Food Historian

If you're an ACF member who has wished to be on television, this could be your opportunity! The History Channel seeks a dynamic, well-spoken and engaging host for the program AMERICA EATS. AMERICA EATS will be a fun, historically-contexted exploration of the foods Americans love to eat, prepare and share. The ideal host will be engaging on camera and have a strong working knowledge of American regional cuisines and culinary and American social history. Some knowledge of food chemistry is also helpful.

Location, shooting schedule and compensation will depend upon the individual chosen. If interested, send recent photo, bio/résumé, VHS or DVD (if available) and any other relevant materials to:

Barbara Barna Casting
249 Smith Street, PMB #122
Brooklyn, NY 11231
www.barbarabarnacasting.com

Please do not send master copies or your last copy of materials, as materials cannot be returned. Also, be sure to mark the envelope "THC America Eats." Deadline is Jan. 31, 2006.

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©2007 American Culinary Federation

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