The Culinary Insider - March 15, 2010 (Vol. VIII, Issue 6)

ACF Northeast Conference Was a Sweet Success

ACF Northeast Regional Conference

More than 600 people attended the ACF Northeast Regional Conference hosted by ACF Harrisburg Chapter, in Hershey, Pa., March 13–15. The event had an array of professional development and networking opportunities, and the trade show had more than 50 exhibitors. Michael Murray, CEC, won the One-Pot Win A Lot competition, sponsored by Riviana, and Elizabeth Maloney won the Make-It-Mini Dessert Trio competition, sponsored by MARS Foodservice. Walter Scheib, former White House executive chef during the Clinton and Bush administrations, delivered an inspiring keynote address, and more than 140 attendees made the trip to the beautiful Hotel Hershey to experience the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) Dinner.

A sincere thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors, whose support was instrumental to our success, and to the AAC for donating $1,000 to the ACF Northeast Region Student Team winner to assist with travel expenses to national convention. In addition, AAC donated $3,000 and ACF Philadelphia Chapter donated $3,000 to ACF Culinary Team USA at the conference.

Congratulations to all the award recipients and honorees for their outstanding contributions and goodwill, and to all the competitors for a job well done.

Chef of the Year, Sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions

Michael Matarazzo, executive chef, Bear Mountain Inn, Bear Mountain, N.Y.; ACF National Chapter

Pastry Chef of the Year, Sponsored by Splenda®

Jennifer Kopp, CEPC, pastry chef, Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Md.; ACF Nations Capital Chefs Association

Chef Educator of the Year

Maureen Costello-Garfolo, CEC, CCE, chef-instructor, Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

Student Chef of the Year, Sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.

Corey Siegel, CC, student, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York

Chef Professionalism Award, Sponsored by Minor’s®

Douglas Patten, CEC, CCA, corporate executive chef, Flik International/Compass Group, Rye Brook, N.Y.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award

Americo DiFronzo, CEC, AAC, executive chef, American Food Systems, Inc., Burlington, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

Student Team Regional Championship, Sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.

ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains, State University of New York at Delhi; Julie Hernandez, Kenneth Liranzo, Joseph Michaud, Mike Specioso, Sarah Thurgood and coach Victor Sommo, CSC

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, Sponsored by American Technical Publishers

Westmoreland County Community College, ACF Laurel Highlands Chapter; Carol Baier, Ellen Cervone, Rebecca Hawk, Dianne Palmieri, Allison Yeagley and coach Cindy Komarinski, CCC, CCE

ACF Northeast Region Chapter of the Year

ACF Rhode Island Chapter

ACF Northeast Region Chapter Achievement Awards

  • ACF Capital District–Central New York
  • ACF Columbus Chapter
  • ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
  • ACF Pittsburgh Chapter
  • ACF Rhode Island Chapter

ACF Northeast Region President’s Medallions

  • Robert Forquer, CEC, AAC, culinary-arts instructor, Commonwealth Technical Institute at the Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGAC), Johnstown, Pa.; ACF Conemaugh Valley Culinary Association
  • Thomas Hannum, CEC, safety manager, DuPont Hospitality, Wilmington, Del.; ACF First State Chefs Association
  • Brian Peffley, CEPC, CCE, pastry-arts instructor, Lebanon County Career and Technology Center, Lebanon, Pa.; ACF Harrisburg Chapter
  • Ka-Ron Thomas, executive chef, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Cutting Edge Awards

  • Maria Campbell, CEC, chef-instructor, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter
  • Mark Kent, CEC, operations manager, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio; ACF Akron-Canton Area Cooks and Chefs Association
  • Linda Musch, CCE, AAC, chef-instructor, Chariho Area Career and Technical Center, Wood River Junction, R.I.; ACF Rhode Island Chapter

Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Products Earn ACF Seal of Approval

Stella Cheese

Saputo Cheese USA Inc. has earned the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Seal of Approval for its Stella® Blue Cheese wheel and Stella® Blue Cheese crumbles products. To receive the prestigious ACF Seal of Approval, products must meet objective testing criteria and undergo extensive testing from application and physical properties to performance and guarantees. The company’s Stella® Toppers® Fresh Mozzarella Bocconcini and Stella® Toppers® Fresh Mozzarella Ciliegini products earned the seal in December 2008. More

New Catalog, New Products, New Lower Pricing only at The Happy Chef®

Happy Chef Uniforms

Click here to receive our exclusive Spring 2010 Chef Apparel Catalog FREE!

Digital Debut of NCR

Select NCR Digital

The National Culinary Review (NCR) will make its digital debut with the April issue. No more waiting for it to arrive in the mail. You can view a digital sample of NCR.

Features of the digital version include:

  • Accessible on PC, MAC, iPhone
  • Works from your browser
  • User-friendly, vivid images, clear text
  • Linked table of contents, articles, ads
  • Save for offline reading
  • High-quality printing
  • Keyword search of current/archived issues
  • Bookmark pages/articles
  • Share via e-mail, blogs, social-networking sites

ACF student and junior culinarians and international members will automatically receive the digital version. Choose digital and help save the environment as we decrease our carbon footprint. ACF members login to go digital. Nonmembers subscribe at the e-Store.

Flaxseed: Ingredient of the Month

Culinary Nutrition News

Ingredient of the Month presented by ACF Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University is a monthly article available to you. Flaxseed, March’s ingredient, is a small brown seed with a mild nutty flavor that has been deemed a healthful ingredient for centuries. While studies show some evidence that it can help reduce your risk of certain diseases, studies of the direct effects are lacking. More

CAFÉ’s 2010 Program for Foodservice Trainers and Educators

CAFE Weekend events critical to your professional development!

Deadline for discounted early registration: May 1, 2010

June 18–20: Mastering French Cooking: from Classics to Contemporary, L’Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Md.

June 25–27: 6th-Annual Leadership Conference, Baltimore International College

July 23–25: The Healthy Menu—Cooking for Tomorrow, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago

October 22–24: The Latin Event, Johnson & Wales University, North Miami

Earn ACF continuing-education hours! Click CAFÉ Events at www.CafeMeetingPlace.com for more information.

U.S. National Chocolate Masters

Barry Callebaut Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, is calling all chocolatiers, pastry chefs and chocolate professionals to apply to compete in the U.S. national competition for the World Chocolate Masters. The application deadline for the U.S. national competition is March 31. The winner will advance to the 2011 World Chocolate Masters competition in Paris. Call (866) 443-0437 or e-mail for an application.

BCA Annual Cultural Awareness Salute

Now in its 17th year, the BCA’s Cultural Awareness Salute and Black Tie Gala honors the achievements of people of color in hospitality. The gala is April 10 at the Marriott Marquis, New York. Tickets