By René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC
Dear ACF Members,
I hope your summer was memorable and that your families are excited about the new school year.
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the 2024 ACF National Convention in Phoenix in July, celebrating ACF’s 95th anniversary. We kicked off the event with a successful community outreach day ahead of the convention by introducing ACF’s Operation Chefs: A Recipe for Change, which featured an ACFEF Chef & Child event in the morning and a visit to a residence for 75 U.S. military veterans in the afternoon.
Our convention theme, Together Towards Tomorrow, was brought to life by our dedicated membership. Throughout the week, we enjoyed engaging cooking demos and educational presentations by many talented ACF members and celebrated chefs. Our trade show was a smashing success with more than 90 vendors. And, with the ACF national competitions held right on the trade show floor, everyone was able to catch all the action. The Phoenix Convention Center staff delighted our tastebuds with exciting Arizona flavors and chef-focused meals. Finally, we closed the week with a spectacular President’s Gala celebrating our national award winners! Hats off to the national office and all of our dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the convention a resounding success.
Please check out ACF’s social media pages for event highlights, awardees and competitors. Join me in congratulating all the competitors and chefs who were up for awards — your hard work is commendable! Looking ahead, we are already planning another phenomenal convention for 2025 in Las Vegas at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
In this issue, September’s trend is Five-Star Elegance for Everyone, and October’s trend is The New Bar. We’ll dive into dishes and meet chefs using high-end ingredients, explore luxe desserts and provide fun info on non-alcoholic drink suggestions in line with our trends.
This issue also includes articles about recruiting the next generation through workforce development programs for students and young culinarians; menu-mapping suggestions from ACF Chef Ray McCue, CEC, AAC, to optimize equipment; the 2024 Chapter of the Year (small chapter category, new this year), ACF Professional Chefs of New Hampshire; how culinary educators are gearing up for the school year; and more.
Our organization moves forward because of you. We always appreciate your feedback. Thank you for entrusting the board of directors to propel this organization forward as we look ahead to our 100th anniversary.
Chefs, I got your six. #CIGY6
René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC
National President, American Culinary Federation
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