AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Media Contacts: July 9, 2013 Jessica Ward: (904) 484-0213, [email protected] Patricia Carroll: (904) 484-0247, [email protected]

Four Chefs Vie for Chef Professionalism Award During the 2013 American Culinary Federation National Convention in Las Vegas

St. Augustine, Fla., July 9, 2013—Professionalism is a quality that accompanies leadership and integrity, and this month, the American Culinary Federation (ACF) will recognize one of four chefs from around the U.S. for his outstanding commitment to the culinary profession with the national Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award. The award, sponsored by MINOR’S®, is presented during the 2013 ACF National Convention held at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, July 21-25.

The Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award is presented to a chef who exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism through certification, continuing education and training, culinary competitions and community involvement. It honors culinarians who help elevate the status of chefs and cooks in the U.S. The award was designed to commemorate the efforts of Dr. Lewis J. Minor, AAC; Louis Szathmary, AAC; and Lt. Gen. John D. McLaughlin, AAC. The combined efforts of these three ACF leaders helped achieve a long-sought goal for American chefs: official recognition of ACF executive chefs as professionals, reflected in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

National award winners from the past five years and a MINOR’S representative evaluate the four regional winners and determine the chef to receive the national award, which is presented at the Chef Professionalism Lunch, July 22. Here are the 2013 candidates:

Central: Kevin Brennan, CEC, AAC, of Walled Lake, Mich. Kevin Brennan, CEC®, AAC®, executive chef at Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, for 19 years, oversees a staff of 68 and food and beverage sales of $7 million. Brennan’s experience includes sous chef, Recess Club, Detroit, and executive chef, Orchard Lake Country Club, Lake Village, Mich. He has received gold and silver medals in numerous ACF-sanctioned competitions. In 2004, under his guidance, Detroit Athletic Club received an ACF Achievement of Excellence Award for its foodservice operations. In 2012, he was executive chef for ACF’s Central Regional Conference American Academy of Chefs® (AAC) dinner. Brennan is a member of ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association

Northeast: James Connolly, CEC, CCA, AAC, of Nashua, N.H. James Connolly, CEC®, CCA®, AAC®, is divisional director of culinary services for , Atria Senior Living, based in Louisville, Ky., and has worked for Atria Senior Living since 2008. With an associate degree in culinary arts from Essex Technical Institute, Hawthorne, Mass., he has more than 35 years of experience in the culinary industry. His experience includes executive chef for Skyview Cafe and Brewery, Nashua; Not Your Average Joe’s, Methuen, Mass.; and senior executive chef of national accounts for Sodexo, based in Gaithersburg, Md. He is certification chair for ACF Epicurean Club of Boston. He received the ACF Northeast Region Cutting Edge Award in 2011 and the ACF Epicurean Club of Boston Chef of the Year award in 2012. Connelly was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs®, an honor society for chefs, in July 2012.

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Southeast: Christopher McCook, CEC, AAC, of Watkinsville, Ga. Christopher McCook, CEC, AAC, is executive chef at Athens Country Club, Athens, Ga. He supervises a staff of 32 and is responsible for managing an annual budget of $1.5 million. He has an associate degree in occupational studies in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., and is a certified vocational education teacher by the Massachusetts Board of Education. McCook’s experience includes The Union Club of Boston, Boston, and the Tatnuck Country Club, Worcester, Mass. He is president of Classic City Chefs & Cooks Association, as well as the chapter’s apprenticeship chair. He is also an approved certification evaluator, in June 2011, hosted and administered his first ACF certification test at the club. McCook volunteers for the Bread for Life mentor program through Action Ministries, Athens.

Western: Alan Chambers, of Salt Lake City Alan Chambers, corporate chef, Sinclair Oil Corp., Salt Lake City, was attending the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., for baseball when he fell into a culinary career working at the Hilton Hotel in Gainesville. Since then he has gleaned more than 40 years of experience in the culinary industry, including executive chef, Le Fleur De Lys, Salt Lake City; owner, The Rotisserie Restaurant, Salt Lake City; and general manager, Da Nata, Inc., Salt Lake City. He uses his expertise to give back to his community and mentors young cooks in the industry. Chambers has been involved in fundraising for Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity and the YWCA, where he helped raise more than $40,000 through its annual golf tournament. Chambers is a member of the ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter, Inc.

The 2013 ACF National Convention brings more than 1,300 foodservice professionals and chefs from across the country together to compete for national awards, network, attend culinary demonstrations and educational seminars, discuss the latest culinary trends and techniques, and view the newest culinary products at its annual two-day trade show. For information, or to attend, visit www.acfchefs.org/convention or call (800) 624- 9458. Follow national convention happenings on ACF social media @ACFChefs or Facebook.com/ACFChefs, and join the conversation with the hashtag #ACFCONV.

National sponsors of the 2013 ACF National Convention are: Alabama Gulf Seafood; Albert Uster Imports; Allen Brothers; American Public University System; American Roland Food Corporation; American Technical Publishers; Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water; Barry Callebaut; BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.; California Avocado Commission; Campbell Soup Company; Canada Cutlery Inc.; CaterSource® Magazine; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Ecolab®; Heritage Food Service Group; Hobart Corp.; illy caffé; Irinox USA; J.R. Simplot Company; Johnson & Wales University; Lactalis Foodservice; McCormick For Chefs; Michelman & Robinson, LLP; MINOR’S®; Mississippi Seafood Marketing; Monterey Bay Aquarium; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Oneida; Plugrá® European-Style Butter; PreGel AMERICA; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana® Foods; S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water; The Schwan Food Company; Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada; StarKist®; Tyson Food Service; US Foods; Unilever Food Solutions; Valrhona; Victorinox Swiss Army; Villeroy & Boch; Vitamix® Corporation; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

About the American Culinary Federation The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in . With more than 20,000 members spanning 200 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the , with the Certified Executive Chef®, Certified Sous Chef® and Certified Executive Pastry Chef® designations the only culinary credentials accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org. Find ACF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACFChefs and on Twitter @ACFChefs.

# # # Editor’s note: To arrange interviews or request high-resolution photos, contact Jessica Ward at [email protected] or (904) 484-0213, or Patricia Carroll at (904) 484-0247 or [email protected].