ACF Student Pastry Chef of the Year Award
The ACF Student Pastry Chef of the Year award was presented for the first time in 2022.
2023 National Qualifiers were held March 11–13, 2023, at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. The four top scoring chefs will move forward to compete for the National Title in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the ACF National Convention, July 16–19, 2023. The competition will be held at the New Orleans Culinary Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), New Orleans, LA 70130. During the 2023 National Qualifiers, Regional Winners were named. These chefs had the highest scores within their regions. The National Winner will be named during the President’s Gala on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
2023 Regional Winners & National Competitors
- Central Winner - Margaret R. Waddle (competing at Nationals)
- Northeast Winner - Vanessa Ruiz, CFPC (competing at Nationals)
- Southeast Winner - Patricia Santibanez
- Western Winner - Kambree C. Thomas - (competing at Nationals)
- Western - Shawnti Diaz - (competing at Nationals)
- Military Representative - LtCpl Ashley Diaz-Araujo (competing at Nationals)