Award Winners Announced at the 2008 Annual American Culinary Federation National Convention

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., July 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) honored more than 110 chefs, culinary industry professionals and foodservice establishments at the 2008 ACF National Convention inLas Vegas, July 14-17.

Las Vegas was the location of the 2008 ACF National Convention. Bringing more than 2,000 chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the convention provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative workshops and seminars, cutting-edge demonstrations, a trade show featuring approximately 150 exhibitors and national competitions. The sold-out third annual Certified Master Chefs dinner featured ACF Culinary Team USA.

Charlie Trotter, chef/proprietor, Charlie Trotter's,Chicago, announced, on behalf of the Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation, an annual $25,000 donation for scholarships to ACF. Trotter, a member of ACF National Chapter, was the keynote speaker during General Session. The Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that awards scholarships to students seeking careers in the culinary arts.

U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year(TM), sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions

Russell Scott III, CMC; executive chef, Isleworth Country Club,Windermere, Fla.; ACF Central Florida Chapter

ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda(R)

R. Andrew Chlebana II, CEPC; pastry chef, White Eagle Golf Club,Naperville, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

ACF National Chef Educator of the Year

Wilfred Beriau, CEC, CCE, AAC; department chair and professor of culinary arts, Southern Maine Community College,South Portland, Maine; ACF Casco Bay Culinary Association ofPortland ME

ACF National Student Culinarian of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.

JohnMichael Lynch; apprentice and line cook, Cherokee Town & Country Club,Atlanta; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.

ACF National Student Team Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.

ACF Professional Chefs Association ofHouston: Jeff Albers; Michael Castillo; Eva Raquel del Pilar Castanon; Gabriel Gomez; Robert Morales; and Alex Darvishi, CEC, AAC, coach

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Nestle Professional

Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC; executive chef, River Oaks Country Club,Houston; ACF Professional Chefs Association ofHouston

Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award

Roland Schaeffer, CEC, AAC, HOF; retired,St. Augustine, Fla.; ACF National Chapter

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by Pearson Prentice Hall

Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.: Mary Boehne, Charles Conners, Brian Horton, Reagan Irwin, Corey Moore, Joseph Mueller, CEC, coach

President's Award

John Kaufmann, CEC, AAC; retired,Antioch, Ill.; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

ACF Leadership Award

Ferdinand Metz, CMC, AAC, HOF; president emeritus, The Culinary Institute of America,Hyde Park, N.Y.; Mid Hudson Culinary Association

ACF Industry Partnership Award

Custom Culinary, Inc.,Oak Brook, Ill.

Excellence in Education Award

Professional Culinary Institute,Campbell, Calif.

ACF Humanitarian of the Year Award

Elizabeth Mikesell, CEC, AAC; chef-instructor, Pima Community College,Tucson, Ariz.; ACF Chefs Association of Southern Arizona Tucson

ACF President's Medallion Recipients

Joachim Buchner, CMC; executive chef, Chevy Chase Club,Chevy Chase, Md.; ACF Nations Capital Chefs Association

Julia Burnside; senior manager, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism,Nassau, Bahamas; Bahamas Culinary Association

Margaret Condrasky, CCE, ED.D, RD; assistant professor-food service, Clemson University,Clemson, S.C.; ACF Upstate South Carolina Chapter

Scott Daniels, CEC, CCA; senior director, dining and culinary; Sodexo,Middleton, Del.; ACF First State Chefs Association

Ira Fingerman; national manager, Lady Aster, Tyson Food Service,Springdale, Ark.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

Donald Hauck, CEC, AAC; chef-instructor, Columbus Culinary Institute,Columbus, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

Paul Kampff, CEC; executive chef, St. Louis Country Club,St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

Stefan Marcus; chef-instructor, Midwest Culinary Institute,Cincinnati; ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter

Rene Marquis, CEC, CCE, PCEC, AAC; executive chef, U.S. Army,Brandon, Fla.; Old Dominion ACF Chapter

Jesse Mercado, CEC, AAC; retired,Harwood Heights, Ill.; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

Myles Moody;Ireland; World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS)

Jonathan Moosmiller, CCC; executive sous chef, Westchester Country Club,Rye, N.Y.; ACF National Chapter

Christopher Neary, CEC, CCA; executive chef, J. Kings Food Service Professionals,Holtsville, N.Y.; ACF Long Island Chapter

Michael Norton, CEC, AAC; executive chef, Eldorado Hotel & Casino,Reno, Nev.; ACF High Sierra Chefs Association

Christopher Plemmons, CEC, AAC; chef-instructor, Olympic College Culinary Arts,Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

David Prows, CEC, AAC; executive chef, Costa Vida,Sandy, Utah; ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc.

Jill Russell, CEC, CCE; chef-instructor, Elgin Community College,Elgin, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

Garrett Sanborn, CEC, CCE; chef-instructor,Oldham County Board of Education,Buckner, Ky.; ACF National Chapter

James K. Storm, CEC; executive chef, Bellerive Country Club,St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

William Tillinghast, CEC, AAC; director of culinary and pastry programs, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Philadelphia,Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Randy Torres; director of culinary education, Professional Culinary Institute,Campbell, Calif.; Santa Clara Valley Chapter

Charlie Trotter; chef/proprietor, Charlie Trotter's,Chicago; ACF National Chapter

Keriann Von Raesfeld; student, Professional Culinary Institute,Campbell, Calif.; Santa Clara Valley Chapter

Robert Walter, CEC; assistant director, Goodwill Industries SEW,Great Lakes, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

Ctefan Wohlfeil; president, Verband der Koche Deutschlands,Frankfurt, Germany; WACS

2008 National Chapter of the Year

ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.

Special Recognition Award

Mary Zappone, CCE, AAC; chef-instructor,Westmoreland Community College,Youngwood, Pa.; ACF Laurel Highlands Chapter

2008 Phillips Foods Recipe Contest

Anthony Lauri, CEC, AAC; executive chef, University of Miami,Coral Gables, Fla.; ACF Greater Miami Chapter Epicurean Club

ACF Achievement of Excellence Awards

Fine Dining category

Desmond Albany Hotel, Scrimshaw Restaurant,Albany, N.Y.

Hugo,Oakley, Ohio

Pazzaluna Urban Italian Restaurant, a division of Morrissey Hospitality Co.,St. Paul, Minn.

Tempo Restaurant,Buffalo, N.Y.

The Summit at Midwest Culinary Institute,Cincinnati

Casual Dining category

River House Tea Room, Gruene,Texas

The Pelican's Reef,Cincinnati

Chain Operator or Restaurant Concept

Market Street,Plano, Texas

Culinary Program Full Service Restaurant Facility

Dining Room at Kendall College,Chicago

Hotel or Hotel Restaurant

InterContinentalHouston,Houston

Pastry Shop/Bakery

Dessert Dreams, Inc.,Irving, Texas

Private Clubs or Resorts

Brookside Country Club,Canton, Ohio

Oakland Hills Country Club,Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Oakmont Country Club,Oakmont, Pa.

Valley Country Club,Aurora, Colo.

Restaurant Concept Company

Tommy Guns Garage, Inc.,Chicago

Chef & Child Awards

Michael Ty Endowment Fund

Ann Cooper; director of nutrition services, Berkeley Unified School District,Moss Beach, Calif.; ACF National Chapter

True Spirit Award

Thomas Yanisko, CEC, CCA, AAC; director of nutrition and foodservice, Community Medical Center,Toms River, N.J.; The ACF Jersey Shore Chefs Association

Little Oscar Award

ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs de Cuisine, Inc.

American Academy of Chefs (AAC) Awards

Chair's Medal

Steven Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC; corporate executive chef, Unilever Foodsolutions,Lisle, Ill.; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

Joseph Amendola Award

Noble Masi, CEPC, AAC, HOF; retired,Plymouth, Mass.; Mid Hudson Culinary Association

Chef Good Taste Award

Hans Schadler, CEC, AAC; executive chef/culinary director, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,Williamsburg, Va.; ACF Virginia Chefs Association

Sharing Culinary Traditions Award

Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC; executive chef, River Oaks Country Club,Houston; ACF Professional Chefs Association ofHouston

Lt. General John D. McLaughlin Award

Stephen Miller, CMC; vice president, logistics, operations and planning, Macone Midway LLC,Chicago; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame

Manfred Bast, CMPC, CEC, AAC; retired chef-instructor, The Restaurant School,Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame Celebrated Chef

Charlie Trotter; chef/proprietor, Charlie Trotter's,Chicago; ACF National Chapter

2008 American Academy of Chefs Academy Fellows

Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA; executive chef and program director, Triad Community Kitchen,Winston Salem, N.C.; ACF Triad Chapter North Carolina

Patrick Britten, CEC; culinary specialist, SYSCO Foodservice Northern New England,Westbrook, Maine; ACF Casco Bay Culinary Association ofPortland, ME

Louis Chatham, CEC; executive sous chef, Pearl River Resort and Casino,Choctaw, Miss.; ACF Choctaw Chapter

Philip DeMaiolo, CEC; executive chef, Pier Sixty,New York; ACF Long Island Chapter

Christopher Desens, CEC; executive chef, Racquet Club Ladue,St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association ofSt. Louis, Inc.

Peter Desmond, CEC; culinary instructor, Glenmont Job Corps Academy,Glenmont, N.Y.; ACF Capital District --Central New York

Brian Dragos, CEC, CCE; corporate executive chef, Nestle Professional,Glendale, Calif.; ACF Chefs Association ofArizona, Inc.

Gary Fuller, CEC, CCE; program manager, West Sound Technical Skills Center,Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Michael Gaines, CEC; executive chef, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System,Salinas, Calif.; ACF Monterey Bay Chapter

Samuel Glass, CEC, CCE, CCA; professor, Centennial College,Ontario, Canada; ACF ofGreater Buffalo New York

Todd Gold, CEC, CCA; food service director, Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School,Little Rock, Ark.; ACF Central Arkansas Chapter

Paul Jensen, CEC, CCA; chef-instructor, Nashville State Community College,Nashville, Tenn.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Dorothy Johnston, CEC, CCE; owner/chef, Cafe in the Square,Buffalo, N.Y.; ACF ofGreater Buffalo New York

Christian Kiefer, CEC, CCE; executive chef, Schwan's Food Service, Inc.,Marshall, Minn.; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter, Inc.

Ann Marie Mundrick, CEC; general manager and executive chef, Sodexo at Abington Friends School,Jenkintown, Pa.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Richard Naglich, CEC; corporate executive chef, Allen Brothers Inc.,Chicago; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

Christopher Neary, CEC, CCA; executive chef, J. Kings Food Service Professionals,Holtsville, N.Y.; ACF Long Island Chapter

John Olsen III, CEC; chef-instructor/restaurant chef, The Art Institute of Philadelphia,Philadelphia; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Bruce Ozga, CEC, CCE; dean of culinary education, Johnson & Wales University,North Miami, Fla.; ACF Greater Miami Chapter Epicurean Club

Christopher Plemmons, CEC; chef-instructor, Olympic College,Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Jeffrey Rotz, CEC, CCE; culinary arts instructor, Eustis High School,Eustis, Fla.; ACF Gulf to Lakes Chefs & Cooks Association, Inc.

Denise Schaefer, CEC, CCE; chef-instructor, Penta Career Center,Perrysburg, Ohio; Maumee Valley Chefs Chapter ACF

Michael Scott, CEC; executive chef, Northwood Club,Dallas; Texas Chefs Association

David Turcotte, CEC; executive chef, U.S. Army; Old Dominion ACF Chapter

J. Kevin Walker, CMC; executive chef, Cherokee Town & Country Club,Atlanta; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter, Inc.

Paul Zdanis, CEC; director of education, Connecticut Culinary Institute,Hartford, Conn.; Connecticut Chefs Association

2008 American Academy of Chefs Honorary Fellows

Richard Battista; president, Professional Culinary Institute,Campbell, Calif.; ACF National Chapter

Jim Gibbons; governor of the state ofNevada

Thomas Haas; founder, Thomas J. Haas & Associates, Ltd., Inc., Amelia Island, Fla.

Carol Kizer, CCE; hospitality management chair emeritus, Columbus State Community College,Columbus, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

Barbara Kuck; curator, Chicago Culinary Museum & Chefs Hall of Fame,Chicago; ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Inc.

Kathleen Salemno; owner, K P Kitchen Crafts,Hatboro, Pa.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Sponsors of the 2008 ACF National Convention are: American Lamb Board; Bakewell Culinary Powders; Barber Foods; Belgioioso Cheese Inc.; Berkshire Meat Products, LLC; Buckhead Beef Company; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Inc.; Cleveland Range, LLC; Contessa Premium Foods; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal; Dow AgroSciences; Ecolab; Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; Fortessa, Inc.; General Mills; GFF, Inc./Girard's Dressings; Guittard Chocolate Co.; The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes; Johnson & Wales University; The King Arthur Flour Company; La Brea Bakery; Lantmannen Unibake USA; Lavazza,Italy's Favourite Coffee; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Mann's Fresh Vegetables; McCain Foods USA; Meat & Livestock Australia; Mind's Eye Resource Management, LLC; Nestle Professional; New Mexico Department of Agriculture; NEWCHEF Fashions; Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats; Pearson Prentice Hall; Perfect Puree ofNapa Valley; RC Fine Foods; RH Forschner by Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Saputo Foods; Snake River Farms; Splenda(R); Sweet Street Desserts; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; Ventura Foods, LLC; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians inNorth America. With more than 21,500 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs inthe United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative forthe United States in major international culinary competitions. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

PHOTOS CAN BE OBTAINED BY CONTACTING PATRICIA CARROLL AT pcarroll@acfchefs.net OR BY CALLING (800) 624-9458 EXTENSION 147.

SOURCE The American Culinary Federation, Inc.

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