Award Winners Announced At 2010 Acf Western Regional Conference

The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., the largest association of professional culinarians in North America, honored its members and chapters at the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 6-8.

The 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below will compete for national titles against their winning regional counterparts at the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2-5.

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions
Brandon Parry, CEC, PCEC, ACE, executive chef, U.S. Navy, San Diego; ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego

Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Splenda�
Tracy DeWitt, lead pastry chef-instructor, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Scottsdale, Ariz.; ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc.

Chef Educator of the Year
Jeffrey Brown, Ed.D., CEC, CCE, associate professor, California Sate Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, Calif.; ACF Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association

Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Jean Hull, CCE, AAC, owner, Jean's Hospitality Consultant, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs Association

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Minor's
Aran Essig, CEC, CCA, executive chef, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association

Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Emily Wallace, student, Renton Technical College, Renton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-San Diego: Carlos Esparza, Lorian Koller, Megan Leppert, Evan Rossman and Virginia Vermeulen. The team is coached by Kelly Funes and Michael Zonfrilli.

Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
Santa Clara Valley Chapter; Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell, Calif.; Girija Kaushik, Patricia Liu, Reilly Meehan, Khuong Nguyen and Tiffany Young. The team is coached by Randy Torres, CEC.

The 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

Chapter of the Year
ACF Washington State Chefs Association, Seattle

Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Chefs & Culinarians of San Diego, San Diego
ACF High Sierra Chefs Association, Reno, Nev.
ACF Washington State Chefs Association, Seattle

Cutting Edge Award
Gary Fuller, CEC, CCE, AAC, program manager, West Sound Technical Skills Center, Bremerton, Wash.; ACF Washington State Chefs Association

Jason Morse, CEC, executive chef, Valley Country Club, Aurora, Colo.; ACF Colorado Chefs Association

Eric Watson, CCC, CCE, chef-instructor, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix; ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc.

ACF President's Medallions
Richard Burr, CEC, executive chef, Spirit Mountain Casino, Grand Ronde, Ore.; ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of Oregon

John Hui, CEPC, AAC, corporate pastry chef, Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.; ACF Chefs Las Vegas

Richard Schneider, CMC, AAC, retired, Las Vegas; ACF Philadelphia Chapter

Chosen for its New Mexican cuisine, scenic beauty and entertainment options, Albuquerque was the location of the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by ACF Rio Grande Valley Chapter. Bringing chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the conference provided attendees with opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through business seminars, cooking demonstrations featuring the latest trends and techniques, cooki