By Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC

Greetings fellow ACF members and friends!

It’s transition time! Care for a pumpkin spice latte or perhaps some apple cider, mulled red wine or eggnog? Why choose? Now is the time to enjoy all the diverse flavors of the season and share a toast (safely).

Speaking of diverse—we have revamped the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force that was created a few years ago, and committee members already have some great ideas in the works. I can’t wait to share those with you soon.

We have also created the Work/Life Balance Task Force to help us find ways to keep our sanity when the whole world is spinning, especially around the holidays. It can be hard to remain focused on what matters when we feel shaken and stirred and can’t get certain ingredients we want or recruit the talent we need as we continue to navigate this pandemic. This is when we need each other’s support the most.

During my first few months as president, I was very excited for our first board of governors and board of directors meetings planned for the year. We had a very engaging virtual governors board meeting in October. In just a couple weeks, at the in-person board of directors meeting in our new office in Jacksonville, Florida, we will be mapping out the 2022 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, as well as our one-day learning summits and other events in the works. The plan is to then host my first town hall meeting to share these plans and other news.

The holidays are my favorite time of year. They offer a chance to recognize the diversity of our country and the diversity of our own ACF family. It’s important to take note of the many ways people celebrate their holiday, and to be respectful of that and each other. Perhaps now is the turning point when we can embrace that spirit of inclusion and diversity and recognize that while we are all different, we are still all human beings with some of the same wants and needs.

That said, have a wonderful holiday season—whatever that might look like this year. We all deserve some kindness and peace. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyeux Noel! Geseende Kersfees! Maligayang Pasko! Krismasi Njema! Happy Kwanzaa! Frohes Neues Jahr! Happy New Year!

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC
National President, American Culinary Federation

Contact me at chefkbb@acfchefs.org 📧
or follow me on Instagram @chefkimberlybrockbrown
and Facebook @chefkimberlyepicurean

Click here to see this message in Spanish | Haga clic aquí para ver este mensaje en Español