AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION CHAPTER

Newsletter August/September 2019 Message from the President

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a nice end of the summer It seems like we just had the picnic and the National ACF Conference. Last month has had some exciting things going on. As I mentioned, the National ACF Conference was held in Orlando, FL from 04-09 August. This year had the highest attendance in the past 10 years with 1200 participants.

The board of governors meeting was interesting. There were no hand held voting controls so you had to raise a paddle if you agreed. During the discussion on how to get new members - we are losing more than we should - someone said to cut the rebate checks to the local chapters in order to save money. I disagreed and said we need to lower the national dues by 20% instead of hurting the chapters. Run it like McDonalds and Burger King. They don’t have $12.00 burgers; they have less expensive food and bank on volume. If we do not do something soon, there may not be young members to take our place. When the meeting was over, I was approached by a few other presidents as well as Stafford De Cambra agreeing with my statement.

There were quite a few interesting seminars. The best was at Daytona State College to get a look at their new brewery. As expected, Program Director Costa Margoulas, CEC, CCE, AAC, MBA gave us a great tour of the Hospitality Building, the kitchens, and finally the brewery. The class is new and has a little more than12 students. It’s the first school in Florida to offer this program, and it is catching on quickly. It has state of the art, titanium brewing tanks along with a bar that seats about 14. The beer is made, kegged, and stored in the walk-in directly behind the taps. This allows little chance for air to get into the lines which can create too much foam. That day they had 8 beers on tap (no bottles or cans). The class takes place in the bar area. There are 2-36” monitors so the teacher can use them for PowerPoints and other lecture material. The students sit at the bar for class. Talk about being submerged in the moment!

There were a few changes to the normal sequence. The Academy Diner was held on Sunday evening and the welcome reception on Monday evening. Only one lunch was offered, and all breakfasts were grab and go. Gale Gand was the opening speaker and Duff Goldman closed it out. Both he and Gale talked about their experience and family recipes. Duff had samples for over 500!

There were many competitions as usual: The National Pastry Chef, National Chef, National Educator, Jr. Team, and the Knowledge Bowl Team. There were hands-on seminars (for an extra cost) on Cookie Craft, Cannabis Confectionary, mozzarella making, and a Chef’s community outreach. Other seminars included beekeeping, Flavors of Mexico, Hip Asian Comfort Food, Mastering Food & Wine Paring, the Future of Pastry, to name just a few and Key Life Lessons for

In This Issue • President’s Message • ACFPC/LHC Picnic • Upcoming Events • ACFPC Election • Rights and Duties of ACFPC Board and Officers • Current ACFPC Board • Chef of the Year Nomination Guidelines Pictures from our visit to Rivendale Farms during our August General Meeting. Professional Sustainability by our friends George O’Palenick CEC, CCE, AAC, HOF and Mikey Beriau CEC, AAC, and Thomas Recinella CEC, AAC.

Last week was our August meeting at Rivendale Farms in Bulger, PA. The tour was led by Neil Stauffer Distribution Mgr. and Ellen Baird Assistant Distribution Mgr. The farm is 175 acres, has 150 head of Jersey milking cows, 100+ chickens, producing 100dz eggs per week, and vegetables. There are 25-30 full time employees in the height of the season and down to 15 in the slower months. It takes one person to take care of the milking of the cows. Everything is automated. The cows wear a collar with a computer chip identifying the animal, from weight, name, blood type & pressure, the last time it was milked, and a few other vitals. We were treated to a wagon ride around the farm and ice cream when we got back! This farm is truly state of the art.

Finally, nominations for Chef of the Year, new board members, and officers are open. Chef Schrenk will be sending out information regularly.

I wish you all a happy start to the fall season.

Fraternally, Rikk Panzera CEC, CCE, AAC ACFPC President

ACFPC/LHC Annual Picnic

One of the ways we celebrated summer was at the annual family picnic hosted by ACF Pittsburgh and Laurel Highlands Chapters on Sunday 28 July. The picnic was at Turner’s Dairy Farm in Slickville. This was by far the largest we’ve seen in many years! This was the second year both chapters came together for good food & camaraderie. We added a new addition to our picnic: live music! There were approximately 120 guests out of 160 that said they would come. The day was great! There was a little early morning rain and the rest of the day was sunny. It was truly wonderful to see old friends and talk about the years that have passed.

This year we decided to opt for a pig roast! One was roasted and the other was a Kune Kune Pig that was smoked! Both were very good. We also had hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, salads, cookies, & watermelon. To keep some of the younger (potential members) busy, there was a fishing derby, piñata filled with candy, and volleyball. The band is called Tres Lads. They were exactly what we were looking for. They are three acoustic guitarists and singers. They harmonized very well and did not interfere with conversation. Their choice of songs ranged from rock, country, blues, and even some Frank Sinatra. They truly played to the crowd. They are a local group and well worth seeing.

I want to send out a special thank you to Brian Buskey, ACFPC V.P. and Tim Fet- ter CEC, LHACFC President for organizing this event. They really did a fantastic job. I would also like to thank all our supporters for their donations, time, & effort. This is what our organizations should work towards with every function we do. I would also like to see us combine our meetings as well. Upcoming Events

SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEETING

When: Monday, September 30, 2019, 7 pm. Where: Wigle Whiskey Distillery 2401 Smallman Street (in The Strip) Pittsburgh, PA 15222

American whiskey was born in Pittsburgh! Throughout the 1700 and 1800s, was the epicenter of American Whiskey production. Wigle is named for one of those pioneering Pennsylvania distillers. In the 1790s, Phillip Wigle defended his right to distill in a tussle with a tax collector and unwittingly helped spark the , which pitted Western Pennsylvania distillers against 's troops. He was sentenced to hang for but was ultimately pardoned by Washington. By 1808, Allegheny County was producing half a barrel of whiskey for every man, woman and child living in America. The gold standard of American whiskey was a spicy, earthy called Monongahela Rye. Wigle aims to bring back this tradition with organic regional grains milled on site, then fermented and distilled in their copper pot still in the first distillery in the City of Pittsburgh since Prohibition. ______ACFPC Elections

Greetings to All,

The 2019 ACFPC Election season is fast approaching. We will be opening nominations for all ACFPC Officers, Four (4) Board Member openings, and (ACFPC) “Chef of the Year” at the August General Meeting.

Please note:

• All nominators and nominees must be ACF Pittsburgh Chapter members in good standing, with a current ACF National membership. • Nominations will be accepted beginning at the August General meeting and be closed at the November General meeting. • Nominations will be accepted at October & November ACFPC Board Meetings. • Additionally, eMail and US Mail nominations will be accepted but must be submitted/postmarked by November 1, 2019 Email: [email protected] USMail: Attention: Election Committee ACFPC 800 Vinial Street Suite B302B Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Please be sure the person you nominate wants to run for a particular Office or Board position. Self-nominations are acceptable and encouraged with the exception of “ACFPC Chef of the Year”.

Note: Those who nominate a candidate for “ACFPC Chef of the Year” must speak on their nominee's behalf at the November ACFPC General Meeting and will need to provide a short essay by (Nov. 1st), to be published on the ACFPC website. This essay will outline their candidate's qualifications for the ACFPC's highest honor.

Please refer to “ACFPC Chef of the Year” guidelines (page 5) and duties for all Officer and Board positions (page 4).

• ACFPC Officer Positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sargent-At-Arms • Four (4) Board Positions • ACFPC Chef of the Year (Candidates must meet criteria)

Submitted by 2019 ACFPC Election Chairs: Andrea Carros Schrenk CEPC, CCE, AAC Donato Coluccio CEC RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF ACFPC OFFICERS:

SECTION 1 President: It is the duty of the President to preside at all meetings and keep strict order, enforce the consti- tution and bylaws of the ACFPC and conduct meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. If he/she wants the floor, he/she shall yield the chair to the Vice-President. The right to vote shall only be exercised by the President in the case of a tie, so that he/she shall be the deciding vote. The President shall examine all bills and expenses and endorse the same if found to be correct, approve all official communications, including overseeing the web site, circulars, protocols and writ- ten statements pertaining to the ACFPC. The President will sign all checks for expenditures.

SECTION 2 Vice-President: In the absence of the President shall be responsible for the presidential duties and func- tions. The Vice-President shall be the ex-officio chairperson for the all the various committees, and be in contact with all the committee chairpersons reporting to the President. Shall procure meeting spaces and /or funding for meeting spaces for the general meeting each month and will plan educational seminars for monthly meetings as needed. The Vice Presi- dent shall be able to replace any committee chairperson upon his/her absence or inactivity.

SECTION 3 Secretary: Shall assume the responsibility of mailing invitations, newsletters, and thank you letter to bene- factors of the ACFPC and any other communications necessary for the functioning of the ACFPC; including the web site, as well as correspondence directed by the President. He/she is also responsible for the care of all sick room and baby gifts. He/she is responsible for the recording and maintenance of all minutes for the General Meeting as well as the Board Meetings.

SECTION 4 Treasurer: Shall be bonded and keep the accounting books of the ACFPC, accounts payable and receiva- ble, render each month a statement of receipts and disbursements. He/she shall render complete report of the financial transactions of the ACFPC monthly. Checks shall be signed by two (2) Board authorized signatories. He/she shall deposit all monies of the ACFPC in a designated bank approved by the Board. The Treasurer will be the ex-officio chairperson of the finance committee.

SECTION 5 Sergeant-At-Arms: Shall execute the command of the body in preserving order and shall escort and an- nounce invited guests or candidates, maintain the Flags and banners owned by the ACFPC and furthermore fulfill any other duties as directed by the President. He ro she shall be the chairperson of the membership committee.

SECTION 6 Board of Director

SECTION 7 All members shall attend the regular meetings held each month unless he/she has a good excuse for his/her absence.

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Current ACFPC Officers

Rikk Panzera, CEC, CCE, AAC President Brian Buskey Vice President Scott Burkhart Treasurer Alyssa Rose Secretary Kodi Mikiewicz Sergeant-at-Arms

Board of Directors

Richard Chene CEC, AAC (Board Chair); Byron Bardy CMC, AAC; Donato Coluccio CEC; Keith Coughenour CEC, AAC; John King; Johan Meinke CEC, AAC; Andrea Carros Schrenk CEPC, CCE, AAC; Cynthia Tuite CEC, CCE, AAC; Jeffery Whyle

Chef of the Year Nomination Guidelines

We have begun accepting nominations for the 2019 Chef of the Year. Below are the guidelines for nominations.

1. The Chef of the Year nominee should have high standards as a chef in his or her particular establishment, upholding the standards set by our colleagues before us, and devoting his or her time to the culinary field and the ACFPC. The nominee should be respected by all of the members as a chef that we would be proud to hold as our Chef of the Year. 2. Must be a Professional Culinarian or Senior Professional Culinarian member. 3. Must be a paid member in good standing. 4. Must participate in functions of the organization and lead at least one of those various activities. 5. Must have a good attendance record to general meetings. 6. Must be certifiable as a Chef d’Cuisine, Pastry Chef, Executive Chef or Master Chef. 7. Nominee may be considered for his or her participation from previous years. 8. When nominating, the person making the nomination must be prepared to explain his or her reasons for placing that Chef in nomination. 9. The election of the Chef of the Year will be conducted by following the Constitution and By-laws of the ACFPC, in conjunction with Robert’s Rules of Order. 10. A committee of three members will be appointed to conduct the election and to assure the nominees are qualified to receive the award. 11. For every 40 Professional Culinarian and Senior Professional Culinarian members, there will be one nominee for the Chef of the Year award, which will be made by the general membership. 12. A member can receive the honor only once within a 10 (ten) year period. 13. He or she, the nominee, must be a definite example

Contact Us President Richard Panzera 412-508-7805

Visit us on the web at www.acfpittsburgh.org

[email protected]