“ACF Culinary Team USA tryouts are not a venue in which to learn for first-time competitors. This is truly a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity and experience that moves careers to new levels,” said ACF Culinary Team USA Manager Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, corporate executive chef at Unilever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill. “Experience and knowledge in the craft of cookery at a skilled level is essential, as is being able to produce garde manger food and hot cuisine at the highest possible level.”
Judging the competitions are the following ACF-approved culinary competition judges: Joachim Buchner, CMC, executive chef, Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Md.; Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC, executive chef, River Oaks Country Club, Houston; Alex Darvishi, CEC, AAC, executive chef, Houston Country Club, Houston; Patricia Nash, pastry chef, Motor City Casino, Detroit, Mich.; Gilles Renusson, pastry chef professor, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Daniel Scannell, CMC, chef, La Gorce Country Club, Miami Beach, Fla.; and David Turcotte, CEC, AAC, executive chef, U.S. Army, Fort Lee, Va.
Each chef competing at the tryouts must display a high level of craftsmanship based on solid classical cooking principles and a variety of cooking disciplines incorporating current and modern trends in presentation, technique and taste. Not only will candidates be evaluated on their skill sets, but personality, teamwork, attitude and other factors are considered when selecting the final team members. Elimination before the second tryout, hot food, is possible if a chef does not possess the necessary talent, traits and ability to excel and work cohesively in a team setting.
ACF Culinary Team USA began competing in international competitions in 1956. The 1960 team captured the first world championship honor, and ACF Culinary Team USA repeated the distinction in 1980, 1984 and 1988 by taking the prestigious hot-food competition and establishing a new world record for the most consecutive gold-medal wins. In 2002, Team USA had the highest score in restaurant-style cooking among 32 nations, and in 2008, the regional team won the overall world championship title for the regional portion and the youth team placed fourth overall in the youth category. Since 1998, all ACF Culinary Team USA teams, including national, regional, pastry and student, have won 33 gold and 12 silver medals.
The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 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 United States. 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.
The Chefs selected to compete are:
Stephen Bush CSC sous chef, Mac D’s Pub, Wilmington, Ohio; ACF Greater Dayton Chapter
Scott Campbell executive chef, Downingtown Country Club, Downingtown, Pa.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter
Chad Durkin executive pastry chef, Desserts International, LLC, Exton, Pa.; ACF Philadelphia Chapter
Kevin Doherty CEC, CCA regional executive chef, Delaware North Companies, Boston; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
Peter Dwyer CEC chef-instructor, Lincoln Culinary Institute, Hartford, Conn.; Connecticut Chefs Association
George Gonzalez executive chef, Sodexo, Nashville, Tenn.; ACF Middle Tennessee Chapter
Scott Green, CEC executive chef, Delaware North Companies, Hamburg, N.Y.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York
Ben Grupe senior apprentice The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; ACF National Chapter
Anthony Haacke CEC executive chef, Racquet Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc
Thomas Haggerty sous chef, Indian Hills Country Club, Mission Hills, Kan
Adam Heath CSC executive sous chef, River Oaks Country Club, Houston; ACF National Chapter
Joseph Leonardi CEC executive chef, Somerset Club, Boston; ACF Rhode Island Chapter
Robert Meitzer CEC, AAC, executive chef, Red Rocks Country Club, Morrison, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association
Brian Joseph Moll CC, sauté cook, Isleworth Country Club, Windermere, Fla.; ACF Central Florida Chapter
Stephen Perkins CEC executive chef, Marriott Chesapeake, Chesapeake, Va.; ACF Virginia Chefs Association
Joseph Piazza CEC executive chef, Cherry Hills Country Club, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association
Charles Reed executive chef, Millennium Hotel, Cincinnati; ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter
John Reed CEC, CCA owner, Customized Culinary Solutions, Skokie, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc
Orlando Santos CEPC, executive pastry chef, The Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter
Ryan Schroeder Jr. CEC, chef/owner, Big Tomatoes, Green Bay, Wis.; ACF Fox Valley Chapter
Daryl Shular CCC, corporate executive chef, Performance Food Services, Oakwood, Ga.; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.
Rudy Smith CEC, corporate chef, Unilever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill.; ACF National Chapter
Travis Smith CEC, CCA, AAC, chef director, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City; ACF Culinary Arts Society of Oklahoma
Kevin Storm CEC, CCA, AAC, executive chef, Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc
Eddie Tancredi chef de cuisine, Rosendales, Columbus, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter
