ACF Member News & Opportunities
Update on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Disaster Relief Efforts
We have all seen and heard about the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Our thoughts and prayers are with each person affected by the catastrophes. Funds from the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) Disaster Relief Fund are available to assist ACF members, schools with ACFEF programmatic accreditation and their students, communities and individuals affected by catastrophic events and natural disasters. This form is also in the Members Portal.
Please consider donating to the charity of your choice or making a donation to the ACFEF Disaster Relief Fund to help affected members:

By Check:
Make checks payable to ACFEF Disaster Relief Fund.
Mail to: American Culinary Federation
180 Center Place Way
St. Augustine, Florida 32095

By Credit Card:
Call the ACF national office to make a credit card donation at (904) 484-0220.
Be a Part of Childhood Nutrition Day in October
The ACFEF Chef & Child initiative has 30 grants available at $150 each, provided on a first-come, first-serve basis to help implement childhood nutrition programs in your community. Members can also earn Continuing Education Hours by volunteering.

Chapters and chefs across the nation are invited to hold Childhood Nutrition Day activities during the month of October. The event can be as simple as hosting a demonstration or offering healthy treats at a local school or community event. Visit www.acfchefs.org/CND for more information and program toolkits to get your chapter started.
Social Media Contest!
ACF wants to see how you use onions in your kitchen. To enter the September Ingredient of the Month social media contest, just post on Facebook or Instagram a dish using onions along with the hashtags #ACFChefs and #IOTM and you'll be entered into a drawing to win cool prizes. Contest ends Saturday, Sept. 30.
Click below to learn more and obtain recipes, then complete the quiz to earn one hour of continuing-education credits toward ACF certification.  Sponsored by the National Onion Association.
Earn CEHs as an ACFEF Apprenticeship Supervising Chef
As an ACFEF apprentice supervising chef, you can earn 12 continuing education hours (CEHs) per calendar year for the entire year you have supervised apprentices. Contact your program director for more information. Click below for the full list of ACF-approved CEHs.
September & October Deadlines
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Submit an Application for an ACF Award
Applications are posted for 2018 awards, including Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Chef Educator of the Year, Chef Professionalism Award, Student Chef of the Year, Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement and Chapter Achievement awards. Deadline to submit is Sept. 30 . Click below for details and guidelines. 
Share your Expertise with ACF Chefs at a 2018 Regional or National Event
Speaker proposals are being accepted for the 2018 ACF event series. All proposed sessions must demonstrate innovative trends, information or techniques of interest to the culinary profession. Deadline to submit is Sept. 30.
Pay Half Now and Half Later for 2018 Conferences and Convention
ACF is offering payment plan options for early registrants for the 2018 events. Register for an event and host hotel by Oct. 1 and pay half the registration fee now, with the remainder due by Dec. 31. To register for this offer, you must call the ACF events team at 1-800-624-9458.
Chef Educators and Industry Chefs Needed to Serve on ACFEF Accrediting Commission and Apprenticeship Committee
All submissions will be reviewed and vetted by the ACFEFAC executive committee. Final candidates will be submitted for election by fellow educators of ACFEF-accredited programs, and newly elected commissioners will begin their term at the January 2018 meeting. Deadline to submit is Oct. 16 .
Register and compete in a "Jeopardy"-style competition with questions that cover nutrition, baking, culinary math, safety and sanitation, and the arts of classical and modern cooking. To compete for the national title, teams must enter and win in their respective regional competitions. Deadline to register is Nov. 30 .
ACF Chefs in the News
ACF chefs are in the news and make a positive impact in their communities. Share your chapter's news with ACF by sending clips to pr@acfchefs.net .

Kontos Foods is pairing up with the Texas Chefs Association, a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, to supply food to the Southeast Texas Food Bank in Beaumont, Texas, another area hit by severe flooding. Kontos will be donating 120 cases of 8-inch Pocket Pita.

Competition was strongly encouraged at the Greenbrier. This was the start of a long and endearing connection with the Greenbrier apprentice program.

Some men look at a watermelon and see a piece of produce; other men look upon that produce and see the inner melon, out of which springs forth a multilayered flower, the face of Jesus, or the Starship Enterprise.

More than 20 students and chef instructors worked from morning to night producing the cheese-and-potato-packed monster. The dumpling measured roughly 42 inches long, 20 inches wide and 5 inches high.
Trends, Techniques and Tastes
September is National Food Safety Awareness Month. Each week during the month of September, check the We Are Chefs blog for updated posts on creating a food safety culture in your establishment. Not a subscriber? Sign up here: wearechefs.com
I'm too busy to wash my hands!
Single-use gloves are only effective when used properly: one pair at a time, with proper handwashing each time they’re changed.

What is food safety?
Many operators say that they have established a food safety culture, but when I ask what that means, they struggle to give me a confident answer. So how do you build an effective food safety culture?

Shaping Chefs in Restaurant Settings
Culinard students gain real-world experience in restaurant settings.

Call for 2018 Contributors
Sizzle magazine is looking for culinary educators to partner with students for Classical vs. Modern. Continuing Education Hours are offered for contributors. Click below.
Members Advantage Program
Dell Computer Discount for ACF Members
Get EXCLUSIVE discounts now on Dell products for ACF members. Save up to 38% off select products including Optiplex desktops, Latitude laptops and Poweredge Servers. Offers valid until Nov. 3. Visit the Members Advantage Program for more details and coupon codes.

Go eco-friendly with tableware from Restaurantware and get 10% of f your entire order just for being an ACF member when you use promo code ACFMEMBER. For more information, visit www.restaurantware.com or call (800) 851-9273.
SPONSORED CONTENT
The Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ)
2018 Deans and Directors Retreat
Revolution or Evolution?
Join other postsecondary deans and directors to discuss specific challenges facing culinary programs. The 6 th Annual Deans and Directors Retreat, San Antonio, March 2-4, 2018. 
Hot topics:
  • Active leadership techniques
  • Innovations that are in place ranging from food trucks to food science
  • New models including one-credit trend courses and programs with no financial aid
  • And more!
 
Registration and hotel information can be found at www.CafeMeetingPlace.com.
American Culinary Federation, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095
(904) 824-4468 | Fax: (904) 940-0741