American Lamb Board Joins A C F Culinary Team U S A As Copper Sponsor

In September, Denver-based American Lamb Board pledged its support to American Culinary Federation (ACF) Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, as a copper-level sponsor. In November, the team will travel to Luxembourg to compete on the world stage in the Expogast-Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup 2010.

"We are pleased to have the American Lamb Board join our team of sponsors, because without support from organizations such as them, we would not be able to represent the United States at the international level" said Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, ACF Culinary Team USA manager and corporate executive chef for Unilvever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill. "Our team is looking forward to showcasing American cuisine and showing the world how fresh, lean and superior American Lamb is."

With this new sponsorship, American Lamb boneless loins, necks and ground will be used in upcoming team competitions, and the board will be given a copy of the competition recipe. In addition, each team member will provide an American Lamb recipe for its unlimited use by the organization.

"ACF Culinary Team USA showcases the best products of the United States-products like fresh, local American Lamb," said Megan Wortman, executive director of American Lamb Board. "American Lamb is recognized as tender and flavorful by American chefs and chefs across the world. We are proud to provide American Lamb for these talented chefs."

The American Lamb Board is an industry-funded research and promotions commodity board that represents all sectors of the American Lamb industry including producers, feeders, seed stock producers and processors. The Board, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, is focused on increasing demand by promoting the freshness, flavor, nutritional benefits, and culinary versatility of American Lamb. The work of the American Lamb Board is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the board's programs are supported and implemented by the staff in Denver. For more information, visit www.americanlamb.com.

About ACF Culinary Team USA
ACF Culinary National Team USA is a top contender on the world culinary stage. They placed fifth overall and won two gold medals at the 2006 Culinary World Cup. The 1960 team captured the first world championship at IKA and repeated the distinction in 1980, 1984 and 1988 by winning the hot-food competition all three times and establishing a new world record for the most consecutive gold-medal wins. They took home the gold medal in hot-food cooking in 2004. Since 1998, all ACF Culinary Team USA teams, including national, regional, pastry and student, have won 33 gold and 12 silver medals. Additionally, the team took home two gold medals at the Salon Culinaire Mondial in Basel, Switzerland, in 2005. Sponsors of ACF Culinary Team USA are American Lamb Board, Chef Revival, Johnson & Wales University, Unilever Foodsolutions, McCain Foods, Sara Lee Foodservice, Villeroy & Boch, ACF Philadelphia Chapter, ACF South Bend Chefs and Cooks Association and YoCream International, Inc.

About the American Culinary Federation
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.