ACF Today, Vol. IV, No. 18
August 21, 2006

In this edition...

• Letter from American Culinary Federation President John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC: What's Happening at ACF?
• American Culinary Federation Response to Negative Industry Comments
• Certification Training Courses for Cooking and Baking/Pastry Professionals Now Available on eCulinary
• Deadline to Submit Intent-to-Compete Form for Student Teams is August 30
• Bert Cutino, CEC, AAC, and John Minniti, CCE, AAC, To Be Honored
• Nominations Open for American Academy of Chefs Elected Positions
• Submit Nominations for 2007 American Culinary Federation Awards
• Become a Practical-Test Training Site through ACF's Train-the-Trainer Program
• Buy Your Copy of Culinary Fundamentals and Baking Fundamentals Today!
• Celebrity Chefs Fire It Up in "The Hot Spot" at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, August 26-28, 2006 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA
• It's ALL About New at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show taking place September 8-10, 2006 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL

What's happening at ACF?

My dear fellow member,

I know that ACF members are talking about the work being done by the ACF task forces. At present, the ACF publications task force is working to redesign The National Culinary Review (NCR) and Center of the Plate (COP) for uniformity. By January 2007, NCR will incorporate COP, and feature a new cover and look. These are exciting times, and I can't wait to see the new magazine, which will have a 21st-century look.

The ACF strategic-planning task force is progressing, and has divided into sub task forces to review the 2006 Member Needs Survey Report, which surveyed our membership. Thank you for all the great ideas you supplied to the task force. This data will be incorporated into ACF's strategic plan. I have asked your regional vice presidents to nominate individuals for committee consideration from all membership levels, including students. The strategic plan must reflect all our stakeholders' views to build the future of ACF. I promise that all groups will be represented on this committee.

The ACF membership task force is reviewing membership categories and dues structures, and is working on developing a standard for all chapters to follow. It is an exciting time for all of us, and your input is vital. Much will be discussed, and I ask everyone to keep an open mind and take part in building the future for all chefs, cooks and culinarians in the United States.

"Let's put principles above personalities to ensure ACF's future."

I will continue to update you in ACF Today as I have new information to report.

Most sincerely,

John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC

Recently, a number of ACF members responded to a column by Bret Thorn that appeared in the July 31 issue of Nation's Restaurant News, entitled, "The diversity in professional kitchens slow to be reflected among top chefs," that negatively targeted the culinary industry. ACF members found that the comments and generalizations Thorn made regarding the culinary industry, and in particular, employees in the industry, were disrespectful and without the basis of fact. Therefore, a letter to the editor of Nation's Restaurant News was sent in reply on behalf of the ACF membership.

Dear NRN Editor:

This letter is response to the column in the July 31 issue of Nation's Restaurant News, entitled, "The diversity in professional kitchens slow to be reflected among top chefs."

The culinary industry as a whole, including the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), recognizes the need for minority and multicultural diversity among executive level culinarians. ACF is and has been committed to minority and multicultural diversity in all culinary positions and this continues to be addressed in ACF's strategic plan.

Currently, 84 percent of the 169 post secondary culinary programs that are accredited by the ACF Foundation, Inc., are community, city, technical and vocational schools. There are 91 secondary schools that have certification through the ACF Foundation. In addition, ACF has a strong membership of private culinary institutions, and is currently evaluating the next step of accrediting culinary programs in four-year institutions.

With such a strong focus on students and young culinarians across the board, ACF and its Foundation offers numerous scholarships to students attending culinary educational programs regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and is honored to partner and promote other organizations that also offer scholarships. The ACF also offers financial aid for culinarians that have experience in the industry, and are hoping to grow by taking individual courses, as well.

ACF also has a successful local and national apprenticeship program, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, offering training for those who choose not to utilize formal education. In addition, ACF has begun developing a training program for disabled veterans through the U.S. Department of Labor.

NRN has been providing excellent coverage of the issue regarding the lack of diversity at the top of the industry. Unfortunately, in his column of July 31, Mr. Thorn stated "Professional kitchens tend to be genuine meritocracies, where you can be a ne'er-do-well, malcontent, illiterate drug addict or whatever else you want to be." The ACF believes this statement is offensive to every back-of-the-house worker in the foodservice industry.

I am confident in saying that the ACF membership highly regards Nation's Restaurant News. However, I would be remiss by not pointing out that the ACF membership is disappointed with the food editor's apparent vision of the employees of this industry.

Certification Training Courses for Cooking and Baking/Pastry Professionals Now Available on eCulinary

ACF eCulinary Professional Development Institute now offers Certification for Cooking Professionals and Certification for Baking and Pastry Professionals courses. The 12-week courses include the fundamentals of becoming certified plus short tutorials on key subject matter on the ACF written certification exams. In addition to the study materials, each class participant will automatically have access to sample ACF written exam questions based on their level of certification.

The courses are each assigned an ACF liaison to answer questions about ACF certification and guide you through the processes. Each course is $199 plus applicable state sales tax. ACF awards 20 hours of continuing education for those who successfully complete the courses. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org/eculinary.

In addition to the new certification training courses, registration for the first eCulinary professional-development course, Cost Control for Foodservice Operations, will open on August 22. The course is designed to offer continuing-education opportunities for everyone and specifically for ACF registered national apprentices. All professional development courses are 12 weeks, and will be offered quarterly.

J. Desmond Keefe, III, co-author of Principles of Food, Beverage and Labor Cost Controls, (John Wiley & Sons, 2002), is the lead instructor for this first online course. The course is scheduled to begin on September 4 and continue for 12 weeks. All ACF professional-development courses will be $299 plus applicable state tax. ACF awards 30 hours of continuing education for those who successfully complete the course.

Attention student-team coaches, managers and junior-member competitors. Time is running out to submit your student team competition 'Intent to Compete' form. The deadline is August 30-just 10 days away! You do not need to have your team formed; however, without the form, your eligibility to compete for the state championship is in jeopardy. The form is available on the ACF Web site at http://www.acfchefs.org/download/downloads.cfm.

Once your team is formed, please fill out the team-information form (same link) and send it to the ACF national office. You will receive a response within three business days. If you have any questions, call the ACF events management department at (800) 624-9458. Good luck to all our competitors!

Bert Cutino, CEC, AAC, and John Minniti, CCE, AAC, To Be Honored

The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), will honor Bert Cutino, CEC, AAC, with the AAC Lifetime Achievement Award on October 8 during a formal ceremony and dinner at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, Calif. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m., and is immediately followed by a gala dinner and awards program.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually by the Academy to an outstanding chef who has provided leadership, motivation and inspiration to colleagues and to the youth of the culinary industry. A recipient must have also devoted time to community service, and be highly respected in the foodservice industry and by the Academy. An event ticket is $195 per person, with proceeds benefiting the scholarship fund. Please contact Ole Blem, CEPC, AAC, of Carmel, Calif., at (831) 624-9519 or Michael Gaines, CEC, of Corral de Tierra, Calif., at (831) 206-3309 to purchase tickets or for more information.

The Delaware Valley Chefs Association will honor AAC National Chair John Minniti, CCE, AAC, at its annual Academy dinner on September 18 at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia. Minniti is being recognized for his dedication and continued commitment to the Academy and the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas. An event ticket is $125 per person, and seating is limited to 100. Please contact Pierre Rausch, CEC, AAC, at (484) 686-2383 to purchase tickets or for more information.

Nominations Open for American Academy of Chefs Elected Positions


Nominations are officially open for the national chair and national vice chair positions of the American Academy of Chefs. Nominations will remain open until December 31. To nominate a candidate, you must be an Academy Fellow in good standing. Please submit your nomination in writing to the American Academy of Chefs office, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095.


All nominations are due by December 31, and must be postmarked no later than December 31 to be valid. All candidates accepting nomination are required to respond in writing. Acceptance letters should also be sent to the American Academy of Chefs office.

The 2007 American Culinary Federation award applications have been mailed to all chapter presidents. ACF encourages all members and/or chapters to nominate someone. However, please review the candidate eligibility to make sure your nominee meets the established criteria. Remember that the forms can be downloaded from the ACF Web site at http://www.acfchefs.org/download/downloads.cfm, or you can contact the ACF events management department at (800) 624-9458 to have a form mailed to you.

Become a Practical Test Training Site through ACF's Train-the-Trainer Program

ACF is unfolding a Train-the-Trainer Program across the United States to expand the practical- exam network for certification. The program extends a unique opportunity to culinary institutions across the country to serve as testing/training hubs for practical-exam training. As a training site, the institution would host ACF-approved practical examiners to train culinary professionals at the facility who are interested in becoming practical-exam evaluators. ACF examiners have attained the highest level of trust, professionalism and ethical confidence from his or her peers.


In addition to having some of the most talented chefs conduct training right in your own facility, the program allows more flexibility for culinary staff to become certified. Certified individuals in restaurants and other foodservice establishments give customers the assurance that they are receiving quality foodservice. Students who have also become certified culinarians by completing an ACF-approved apprenticeship program could have the opportunity to train for a higher certification level right in their own school or place of employment.


If your institution would like to take advantage of this opportunity and become a host site, contact the ACF certification department at (800) 624-9458. The site must be easily accessible by air and car, and must meet certain requirements that include having a lecture hall or facility with a capacity of 50 attendees and preferably an LCD projector, and a minimum of eight testing stations.

Buy Your Copy of Culinary Fundamentals and Baking Fundamentals Today!

Ideal to use in a classroom as textbooks or as independent learning guides, Culinary Fundamentals (Prentice Hall, 2005) and Baking Fundamentals (Prentice Hall, 2006) are invaluable tools for culinarians in every setting.

An indispensable book for every culinary student, The American Culinary Federation's Culinary Fundamentals is a comprehensive, technique-based cooking-principles text.

Culinary Fundamentals includes:

• Accompanying DVD with more than three hours of original video highlighting 26 benchmark recipes
• Easy-to-read sections, organized into 14 brief chapters, and broken down into 37 logically organized units
• 250 classroom-tested recipes
• 1,500 photographs, including identification, procedural and finished-late images
• Extraordinary print and media supplement package

Baking Fundamentals explores the basics of baking and pastry arts using real-life examples, learning activities, and four founding principles-ratios, sequence, time, temperature-and how these factors impact all quality baked products.

Baking Fundamentals offers:

• Historical sketch of the industry
• Separate chapter on formula yields and baking math
• Interesting interviews and industry profiles

Numerous hands-on exercises illustrate how mastering a few basic concepts can yield thousands of signature recipes. To purchase books, visit www.acfchefs.org or call (800) 624-9458.

Celebrity Chefs Fire It Up in "The Hot Spot" at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, August 26-28, 2006 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA

Come for the Show. Come for the Culinary Extravaganza.

The 2006 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo brings you today's best foodservice products and solutions, and this year you'll find even more inspiration at "The Hot Spot" Culinary Extravaganza.

This culinary theater features celebrity appearances, cooking demonstrations, tastings and book signings. See notable chefs including Iron Chef Cat Cora, Guy Fieri of Guy's Big Bite on the Food Network, Industry Innovator Tommy Tang and Personal Chef and Author David Lawrence. Also joining the lineup are Chef Eric Osley, Chef de Cuisine at the California School of Culinary Arts, Smart & Final’s Mario Martinoli and Bravo’s Top Chef, Dave Martin. Join us and be inspired!

NEW THIS YEAR – the inaugural Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival.

Your Expo registration gets you full access to the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival on 8/26 and 8/27 for only $10 each day. Save even more when you sign up to attend the Reserve Tasting and Gourmet Food Kick-off Event on Friday 8/25.

Click here to REGISTER NOW at www.westernfoodexpo.com. Be sure to use priority code ACFMEMBER to save $5 off the $45 registration fee.

Sponsored by: California Restaurant Association
Produced and Managed by: Reed Exhibitions

Corporate Partners: Knorr, Nestle FoodServices, Sara Lee Foodservice, Smart & Final and Nation's Restaurant News

It's ALL About New at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show taking place September 8-10, 2006 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL

The Show sizzles like never before with NEW features to enrich and enthrall you:

• Hospitality & Lodging
• PMQ's Orlando Pizza Show
• Gordon Food Service Demo Theater
• Ultimate Barista Challenge
• Nightlife Corner
• Chain & Multi-Unit Operator Summit
• Restaurant Rookie Boot Camp

It's About You.

Inspire your business as you source from among more than 550 leading foodservice and hospitality suppliers with fresh new foods and the latest beverages, equipment and services. Plus, the best industry education at our free seminars and exclusive Culinary Institute of America courses.

It's About Time.

Get a year's worth of sourcing and market information in only three days!

Click here to REGISTER NOW at www.flrestaurantandlodgingshow.com. Be sure to use priority code ACF to save $5 off the $45 registration fee.

Sponsored by: Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association
Produced and Managed by: Reed Exhibitions

Participating Organizations: ACF, BarFly Group, Culinary Institute of America, The Culinary Source, Florida Beef Council, Gordon Food Service, Iowa Pork, Land o’ Lakes, Liquid Promos, , Nation's Restaurant News, PMQ’s Orlando Pizza Show, Restaurants and Institutions, R.L. Schreiber, US Foodservice, Visit Florida, Whole Cup and Wisconsin Cheese

©2007 American Culinary Federation

Through the ACF Today e-newsletter, the federation will provide members with regular news alerts and timely information on products and services offered by the American Culinary Federation and its partners. If you do not wish to receive the newsletter, please reply to this e-mail with REMOVE in the subject header.