ACF Today, Vol. IV, No. 10
May 15, 2006

In this edition . . .

• Cold-Food Category Expanded for ACF National Convention
• Mentoring and Culinary Forum for Students presented at ACF National Convention
• Judging Competitions Seminar Offered at ACF National Convention
• ACF to hold Practical Exam for Certification during the ACF National Convention
• Chef & Child Foundation to Hold Auctions at ACF National Convention
• ACF Culinary Team USA Tryouts Quickly Approaching
• Crab-Cake Contest Open to AAC Chefs
• ACF Sincerely Thanks the Sponsors of the 56th ACF National Convention
  
  

Cold-Food Category Expanded for ACF National Convention

The cold-food salon, taking place at the 2006 ACF National Convention in Philadelphia, has expanded one of its categories. Fruit/vegetable carving has been included in this year's competition.

The ACF Cold-Food Salon sponsored by The Art Institutes features Categories A through D and is open to both professionals and students. First-place winners from each category will receive a $500 cash prize, and all entries are eligible for ACF competition medals. Entry forms may be completed online or downloaded at www.acfchefs.org/events/natcon06/index.cfm. If you have any questions or for additional information, contact the ACF Events Management Department at (800) 624-9458.

Mentoring and Culinary Forum for Students Presented at ACF National Convention

One of the most exciting events at the ACF National Convention will be the Student Mentoring and Culinary Forum, hosted by Immediate Past President Edward G. Leonard, CMC. This is an opportunity for students to be mentored by some of the best chefs in the culinary industry today.

The Mentoring and Culinary Forum for Students will begin with a Q&A brunch with Leonard, followed by special programming by top chefs that focuses on cooking education and career-building networking. The program, aimed toward junior members, will be held Friday, July 14, 10:30 a.m.- 3 p.m., at the Philadelphia Marriott in Philadelphia. All students are invited to attend the brunch and panel discussion, sponsored by Johnson & Wales University, followed by several skills-building demos.

Students with full convention registrations may attend at no additional charge. Individual tickets may be purchased at www.acfchefs.org by apprentices and students, and will be $25 for ACF members, $45 for non-members. Attendance is limited to students enrolled in a culinary-apprenticeship, high-school or postsecondary program. For more information, call ACF at (800) 624-9458 or e-mail acf@acfchefs.net.

Judging Competitions Seminar Offered at ACF National Convention

ACF members striving to become ACF-approved competition judges can attend the required training seminar for judging culinary competitions at the ACF National Convention. This eight-hour seminar is required for chefs interested in becoming ACF-approved judges. The seminar is scheduled for Thursday, July 13 at 8 a.m. Current judges may attend the morning session, which fulfills the refresher requirement needed to maintain status as an approved judge.

Judge candidates must be ACF members in good standing, be certified at the certified sous chef (CSC) level or higher, have won three gold medals and be approved for training by the chair of the Culinary Competition Committee. Attendees must register in advance with the national office and have an approved application on file. Call (800) 624-9458 for more information or to register for the seminar.

ACF to hold Practical Exam for Certification during the ACF National Convention

ACF will host a practical exam for cooks and chefs in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey areas on July 17 at the Art Institute of Philadelphia during the ACF National Convention. A limited amount of openings are available; please call the ACF education department at (800) 624-9458 to reserve your place. There is a non-refundable fee of $50.00 to reserve your spot on the testing schedule. All testing candidates are expected to supply their own knives, uniforms, hand gloves, side towels, hats, small hand tools and all food ingredients (general kitchen dry goods are already available: flour, sugar, salt, dry herbs and spines, oils, etc). Any special ingredient or equipment must be brought in by the candidate.

Chef & Child Foundation to Hold Auctions at ACF National Convention

If you enjoy hunting for bargains, then don't miss the Chef & Child Foundation's (CCF) live and silent auctions at the 2006 National Convention. These auctions will provide you with wonderful opportunities to find spectacular items and gifts, and the funds raised will benefit charities selected by the CCF board of directors.

The live auction takes place at the ice-breaker opening reception, July 14, in the Grand Hall of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Immediately following the live auction, the silent auction will begin and run through the last day of convention. Any item that does not meet the minimum bid will be placed on eBay's charitable giving site for further fundraising efforts.

Items for the auctions will be donated by various companies and must be submitted to the ACF national office by June 20. For more information or if your company would like to donate an item, please call the ACF national office at (800) 624-9458.

ACF Culinary Team USA Tryouts Quickly Approaching

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, will hold ACF Culinary Team USA tryouts at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® at McCormick Place in Chicago, May 21-23. The tryouts will be fascinating to watch for Show attendees, as it will showcase the extraordinary talent and showmanship of the 17 finalists.

ACF Culinary Team USA is the official representative of the United States in major international culinary competitions. A total of 17 chefs will compete for the remaining three of the five positions on the team. Team members selected must have a high-level of craftsmanship based on solid classical cooking principles and a variety of cooking disciplines incorporating current and modern trends in presentation, technique and taste.

The winners will be announced at a press conference at The Culinary Scene on the trade show floor on Tuesday, May 24, from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
A special thank you to our ACF Culinary Team USA sponsors for all their support: Kraft Foods Global, Inc.; Tyson Foods Inc.; Uncle Ben's; Unilever Foodsolutions; Chef Revival; Chef's Hat; Club Managers Association of America; Fortessa; and the Westchester Country Club.

Crab-Cake Contest Open to AAC Chefs

The American Academy of Chefs & Phillips Foods are searching for new and innovative ways to Dress a Crab Cake. Start with a Phillips Maryland-style frozen crab cake in the center of your plate and get creative by adding toppings, garnishes, layers, sauces and other accoutrements to give it a whole new feel. For example, give a crab cake an Asian spin by topping it with warm vanilla ginger sauce and serving it over a bed of cellophane noodles or garnish macadamia-encrusted crab cakes with a savory black-bean salsa.

First place wins $750 and menu inclusion at the AAC Dinner at the ACF national convention in Philadelphia, second place wins $200 and third place wins $50. You must be an AAC member to be eligible for the contest. To enter, visit www.phillipsfoods.com/aaccontest to download a form, then send the completed form to Rebekah Brill at 1215 E. Fort Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21230 or fax it to (410) 837-8526. Entries must be received by June 23, 2006. If you have any questions, call (888) 234-2722, ext. 1605.

ACF Sincerely Thanks the Sponsors of the 56th ACF National Convention!

Diamond
Custom Culinary, Inc.
Nestlé FoodServices
R.L. Schreiber, Inc.

Grand Platinum
Chef Designs
Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Unilever Foodsolutions

Gold

Chef Macrina Fine Cooking Spirits
Johnson & Wales University
McCormick & Company, Inc.
The Art Institutes International, Inc.

Bronze
American Lamb Board
Barber Foods
Boggiatto Garden Hearts
Butterball Farms, Inc.
Chef's Hat, Inc.
GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings
Mexican Shrimp Council
The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Incorporated

Contributor
Canada Cutlery, Inc.
Schulstad Royal Danish Pastry

Donor
J.R. Simplot
Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC
NEWCHEF Fashion, Inc.
United Egg Producers

©2007 American Culinary Federation

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