A Message From your Western Region
Vice President
Dear chefs and friends,

As winter ends and springtime comes, let us be thankful to be members of the American Culinary Federation. The warmth of those sunnier days brings a renewed sense of purpose. It also brings new thoughts and ideas from the ACF. The office staff and the board have been working diligently over the last few months to bring you some new and exciting programming.

We have a new Department head at the national office: Renee Brust, the new Director of Marketing & Communications. If you are at any of the ACF ChefConnects or Cook.Craft.Create. please introduce yourself to her.

Cook.Craft.Create. will have some new schedules focused on Certification and renewal of some of those required classes. Changes abound as well for evaluators and those wishing to get certified.

The Certification department and its committee are moving forward in reevaluating the exams, both practical and written. They have begun the process of translating some of the exams into Spanish. Some are being looked at for validation of skill sets to bring them up to today's job standards. The department believes that in the next 5 to 10 years, we can easily double the amount of certifications.

The American Academy of Chefs will be inducting 18 Fellows this year in New Orleans, Louisiana. They will also host the “Dinner of the Century,” celebrating New Orleans’ rich 300-year history of fine dining and cuisine. The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Chef John Folse and Company, and the Academy of Chefs Honorary Board of Trustees will be presenting the dinner on behalf of the Academy, the ACF Foundation, and the Chaîne Foundation. This will be the first collaboration for the Academy and the Chaîne. We have a venue and we have a date — the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Saturday, July 14, 2018. Details, including the cost, menu and how to reserve your spot, are coming to the AAC web page soon.
 
I want to thank all of you for the efforts made in the Western Region. We are 100% compliant with all the tasks the national office has asked of us. The board gets into the true nitty-gritty of the ACF workings, and our goal is to make everything as transparent as possible. National Secretary Kyle Richardson is pleased to continually update the Secretary’s Portal , which is an initiative we’ve undertaken to help keep you informed of board and committee activity, new benefits and information on committee nominations and elections. This site will allow all members access to view meeting minutes, financial snapshots and the newest announcements concerning the ACF.
 
Thank you and best wishes.
Carlton W. Brooks, CEPC, CCE, AAC
ACF Western Region Vice President
ChefConnect: Newport Beach Award Winners
The ACF Private Insurance Exchange is Live!
ACF is happy to announce that the  ACF Private Insurance Exchange  is available to ACF members and their staff. Shop insurance plans for health, dental, vision, pet and more. Need help deciding which plans are right for you? Our team of licensed Benefits Counselors are standing by to help!  Click here to visit the ACF Private Insurance Exchange !
ChefConnect: Newport Beach
Western Region Winners
Leonard Bailey, CEC
Chef Educator of the Year
Diana Fallis, CEPC
ACF Pastry Chef of the Year
Bill Sy, CEC, AAC, HOF
Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Utahna Warren
Student Chef of the Year
Todd Leonard, CEC
Chef of the Year
Peter Hodgson, CEC, AAC
Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award
Orange Coast College
Student Team Winners
Utah Valley University Culinary Arts Institute
Knowledge Bowl Winners
Certification Updates
The first batch of international students to receive ACF certification were tested March 29-31 at Montego Bay Convention Center, Rose Mount Cres, Montego Bay, Jamaica. Thirteen Jamaican college students tested for various levels of ACF certification, and three of Jamaica’s ACF certified chefs were certified as ACF Evaluators, qualifying them to assess candidates and award certifications. Keep your eyes on the We Are Chefs blog for photos and more info, coming soon!
For certification news and updates, follow the
ACF Certification Group page on Facebook.
ACF Member News
Chefs are indeed lifelong students — whether you're new to the profession or a well-seasoned professional,  ACF offers educational opportunities  that can help you grow. Cindy Komarinski, incoming Chair of the ACFEF Accrediting Commission, shares five ways  culinary training  can help your career on  Future of Business and Tech.
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Get Healthy!
ACF has partnered with  Whole Life Challenge  to offer a  Health Challenge/Culinary Team USA Fundraiser  from April 15-May 25, 2018.

Improve your health with this six-week, habit-changing experience where you will focus daily on seven habits: nutrition, exercise, mobility, sleep, hydration, lifestyle practices, and reflection. With easy-to-use online tools via a smartphone app or computer, you'll be able to monitor your performance and engage in communication feeds to provide each other with encouragement and motivation.  Sign up today!
Call for Presenters
As our industry’s thought leadership conferences, sessions for the 2019 ACF Event Series will include cutting-edge seminars and demonstrate innovative trends and techniques, all delivered with the highest quality of expertise.
We are currently accepting proposals for 2019 ! Please note the deadline for submitting proposals for all of the 2019 events is May 1, 2018.

2019 ACF Conferences & Convention
ChefConnect: Atlantic City, Feb. 24-26
ChefConnect: Minneapolis Mar. 31-Apr. 2
Cook. Craft. Create. National Convention: Aug. 4-8
Career Fair
Thank you to our ChefConnect Charlotte and Newport Beach  Career Fair Sponsors . We had many great companies including Campus Cooks, The Biltmore Company, Carolina Country Club, FoodServ Staffing, Compass Group, Johnson & Wales, Sodexo, and more! Looking for a new opportunity but didn’t attend ChefConnect? Don’t worry! More information on how you can apply with these companies will be emailed to you soon.
If YOU want to BE THE CHANGE in your company, let your employer know that you want to attend. Share this flyer for the talking points.

American Culinary Federation, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095
(904) 824-4468 | Fax: (904) 940-0741

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