Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award

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Jim Churches, CEC, CCA, AAC

Chef Churches has been in the foodservice industry and professional kitchen for over 27 years, working in all aspects of the industry including fast food, family restaurants, casual dining, hotels, fine dining, corporate dining, culinary instructor and food manufacturing. Chef Churches has spent the last 16 years as a corporate executive chef in food manufacturing for three national food companies. Chef Churches works on national multi-million-dollar product introductions/launches by providing culinary training and menu development, to cross functional teams (internal sales/distribution sales reps/restaurant operators).

Chef Churches is field-based so that affords him the opportunity to be active in many ACF chapters, community activities and helping local and national charities. Over the last 10 years Chef Churches has presented to many ACF chapters the educational portion of the monthly chef meetings. After a mentor of Chef Churches was paralyzed in an automotive accident, Chef Churches planned, organized and executed a culinary fundraiser strolling dinner with over thirty local chef stations. Chef Churches is on many culinary arts program advisory boards at the high school and college level. Besides being on the advisory boards Chef Churches gives lectures to the students about the industry, the ACF and how certification can help you survive and thrive in the professional kitchen. Chef Churches has participated in many local and national cooking competitions to raise money for charities as well as he donates multi-course dinners that generates thousands of dollars for multiple charities annually. Chef Churches is also a content contributor to Chef Magazine where he has been on their culinary advisory board for over 10 years.

In 2018, Chef Churches started the St. Patrick’s Culinary Crew. The culinary crew is comprised of dads from St. Patrick’s school including a Secret Service agent, engineers from Ford and General Motors, doctors and lawyers. The crew learns small culinary techniques/tasks from Chef Jim to put together Lent fish fry’s and community events.

In 2019 Chef Churches Started the “Real Culinary Leadership” page on Facebook to create a positive community for Culinary Leaders to share best practices, share ideas and seek advice from other chefs. The Real Culinary Leadership page has over 600 executive chefs including CMCs that share great leadership content daily.

Chef Churches has been married to his wife Kristen for 19 years and has three beautiful children (Abby, 14; Adam, 10; and Andrew, 9) and Raven, a 3-year-old German Shepherd).

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Joseph Piazza, CEC, CCA, AAC

Joseph Piazza was born and raised in Rochester, N.Y. Joe graduated from the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America. He has been cooking professionally for over twenty years. Chef Piazza began his professional executive career in the Rochester, N.Y., area at two top Donald Ross Design Golf Courses, Irondequoit Country Club and the prestigious Oak Hill Country Club, which have both played host to PGA Tour events. At Oak Hill, Chef Piazza had the privilege of working as Executive Sous Chef under Dan Scannell, CMC from 2000 until 2005. While working with Chef Scannell, Joe had the opportunity to apprentice with him for both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Team.

Joe’s unparalleled commitment to his craft has paved a road of culinary endeavors working on Major PGA Championship events like the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill and the 2005 US Women’s Open at Cherry Hills Country Club. While in Denver, Chef Piazza was named 2007 Colorado Chef of the Year. He went on to win the Western Regional Chef of the Year and was one of the four finalists at the 2007 American Culinary Federation National Chef of the Year Competition in Orlando, Fla. On April 10, 2009, Chef Piazza passed his Certified Executive Chef test in Denver. He also served on the ACF board in Denver, and was the President and Chairman of the Board there as well.

After eight years as Executive Chef at Cherry Hills, Chef Piazza was asked if would be interested in applying for the Executive Chef position at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Congressional is ranked the number one platinum country club in the United States, and the chef was retiring after 36 years. He took the position in 2012 and was there for 5 years. Chef Piazza oversaw four distinct dining restaurants and a very busy banquet operation and played to host to four PGA tour stops at Congressional. With a young family, he wanted to be closer to both his and his wife’s family and made the move to The Country Club of Buffalo, where he has been the Executive Chef going into his fourth season. This past year he was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs, as well as obtaining the Certified Culinary Administrator designation.

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Timothy Recher, CEC, AAC

Tim Recher, CEC, now leads the culinary efforts at The Quail West Golf & Country Club including the Cypress Grille, Mahogany Room, Market Place, and banquets/catering. An award-wining chef, Recher has been recognized with many accolades and won a number of highly competitive tests of his exceptional talent and skills in the kitchen. During his tenure at the prestigious Army Navy Country Club as Executive Chef/Assistant General Manager, his culinary brigade was recognized as a Platinum Club of America, ranked in the top 3½% of all clubs in the country, nominated for Platinum Club of the World, and received the ACF’s Achievement of Excellence Award. Immediately prior, he held the position of Executive Chef of the historic and iconic Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C., leading the culinary team through a multiple million-dollar renovation, launching two acclaimed restaurants, and cooking at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

Before moving to Southwest Florida, Tim was known as one of the most accomplished, innovative, and creative chefs in the Mid-Atlantic putting his own mark on modern interpretations of classic American dining. Recher began his career honing his basic knowledge at popular chain eatery TGI Fridays. From his humble beginnings to joining the team of some of the country’s best chefs preparing the inaugural dinner for President Barack Obama, Recher has had a rich and varied career as a kitchen superstar. Chef Recher holds the Certified Executive Chef designation from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—one of fewer than 3,000 nationwide. He’s a three term Chairman of the Board, twice served as President for the Nation’s Capital Chefs Association and has held a position as Adjunct Professor for Anne Arundel Community College’s HCAT-Culinary Arts Program.

Among multi-tasker Recher⁏s honors, he was named by the American Culinary Federation the Northeast Regional Chef Professionalism Award Winner in 2016, winner of the Chef of the Year by the Nation’s Capital Chefs Association in recognition of embracing new approaches to incorporating artisanal and regional ingredients into his menus, finalist for Northeast Regional Chef of the Year, and finalist for Southeast Regional Chef of the Year. An avid competitor and winner of more than 35 culinary medals, Recher is a two-time first place finisher at the Chesapeake Chefs Competition and was named by Maryland’s governor as State Chef. He was selected to display his techniques and talents on the Food Network, where he placed fourth in the nation. Recher has planned menus for many distinguished celebrities at high profile events and what has been certified as the largest plated dinner function serving almost 18,000 guests a three-course meal. Most recently Chef Tim competed in the Culinary World Cup in Luxemburg as a member of ACF Culinary Team USA.

A winner of two Presidential Medals, Achievement of Excellence Award, and the Cutting Edge Award from the American Culinary Federation as well as the coveted Chef Professionalism Award and Chef of the Year for the Nation’s Capital Chefs’ Association, Recher participates in many community outreach programs to train and mentor young culinary students, and develop the next generation of American chefs. In addition to building the new culinary team at Quail West, Chef Tim was recently inducted into the American Academy of Chef (AAC), the honor society of the ACF, is a member of the American Culinary Federation Caxambas Chapter of Southwest Florida and serves as Conseiller Culinaire Provincial for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs overseeing the southeastern United States.

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Christopher DeJohn, CEC, AAC

For the past the forty years, Chef DeJohn has been employed in the foodservice industry. The positions he has held for the last 18 years have been in high volume foodservice administration. Currently, he is working for Tony’s Market as corporate chef food buyer for the deli and bakery departments. He recently was working for the ACF Colorado Chefs Association teaching part-time for the apprenticeship program and took his student competition team to the Western regional after winning the state competition; they placed sixth out of 10 teams. He was the Executive Chef for center plate foodservice at Colorado University Folsom Field as well as working with the team at the Colorado Convention Center and Invesco Field. Prior to that, he worked for The Art Institute of Colorado School of Culinary Arts since the school opened in February of 1994 for ten years. He has also done some contract worked as a consultant for the Almond board of California promoting almonds and doing presentations and product development.

Chef DeJohn’s career with the Art Institute of Colorado began in 1994 as the Operations Director and lead instructor for the culinary program. His duties included Purchasing along with his administrative duties, he not only taught classes such as Basic Skills, Catering, Nutritional Cooking, Current Cuisine, and Management and Supervision but also was instrumental in the curriculum development for all culinary classes. A 1978 Graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Chef DeJohn has been Executive Chef of Denver’s Red Lion Hotel, Stapleton International Airport, Pebble Beach Country Club, Park Suite Hotel, Governor’s Court Hotel, Holiday Inn in Lakewood and other fine establishments. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the ACF Culinarians of Colorado, and has numerous awards for culinary preparation and professionalism. Chef DeJohn was Colorado’s 1991 Chef of the Year, was nominated for the ACF Western Regional Chef Professionalism award in 1999, and received the ACF Culinarians of Colorado Presidential medallion in 2000. Chef DeJohn has been on the state board of directors for the Colorado Restaurant Association for the past two terms.

Chef DeJohn is certified as an Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation and as a Hospitality Educator by the American Hotel Association. He was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs in 1997. Chef DeJohn has been on several live television programs including local news stations promoting culinary arts. Chef DeJohn was also instrumental in developing programs for Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline in Denver. His partnership with this direct outreach program, which mobilizes culinary, nutrition and financial planning professional to teach classes to people who are at risk of hunger and malnutrition, has allowed him to develop Elementary Epicureans in grade schools teaching nutritional and fun food choices. Chef DeJohn has also been a spokesperson for the SIDS program during their Lobster Palloza promotion. Chef DeJohn has been featured on the Food Network Unwrapped show all about “Fondue” and also in Colorado on the local news stations ABC, NBC, and CBS KMGH promoting the school or special event. He also helped to write, test recipes for and food style a cookbook, American Regional Cuisine.