Chefs, Students Honored With 2012 American Culinary Federation Northeast Region Awards

More than 500 guests attended the American Culinary Federation's (ACF) 2012 ACF Northeast Regional Conference at The Conference Center Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, N.Y., April 28-30. Hosted by ACF of Greater Buffalo New York, the conference provided attendees with numerous professional development opportunities. More than 25 chefs, students and chapters were honored. Now, many of these award winners will compete against their regional counterparts at the 2012 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla., July 14-17.

The event kicked off Friday night, April 27, with the Buffalo Casual Street Party. An entire street was closed down for attendees to enjoy live music, local foods and a wing-eating contest. On April 28, former Walt Disney World Company executive Dennis Snow delivered the keynote address on how to use exceptional customer service to win customer loyalty. Also at General Session, ACF Columbus Chapter and ACF Philadelphia Chapter each made a $5,000 donation to support the teams of ACF Culinary Team USA in their quest for gold at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA), commonly known as the "culinary Olympics," in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 5-10. In addition, the American Academy of Chefs (AAC), ACF's honor society, gave a $1,000 grant to the Northeast Region Student Team Champion, State University of New York at Delhi, to assist the team with expenses to travel to the national competition in July. Here are the Northeast Region honorees:

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions
Scott Ryan, CEC, executive chef, The Country Club, Pepper Pike, Ohio; ACF Cleveland Chapter Inc.

Pastry Chef of the Year
Meegan Roberts, pastry chef, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

Chef Educator of the Year
Mark Mistriner, CEC, chair, business and hospitality division/coordinator of culinary arts, Niagara County Community College, Sanborn, N.Y.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York

Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award
Wilfred Beriau, CEC, CCE, AAC, retired department chair, culinary arts and lodging and restaurant management, Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, Maine; ACF Casco Bay Culinary Association of Portland ME

Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by Minor's
Daniel Scannell, CMC, executive chef, Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, N.Y.; ACF national member

Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Thomas Groves, cook, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Cincinnati; ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter

Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers
Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, Pa.; ACF Laurel Highlands Chapter; Carl Dunkel, CEC, CCE, coach

Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
State University of New York (SUNY) at Delhi, Delhi, N.Y.; ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains; Victor Sommo, CEC, coach

Galbani Mozzarella Caprese Challenge, sponsored by Lactalis Foodservice and Galbani Mozzarella
Lisa Woodward, chef/owner, Ambrosia Personal Chef Service and Boutique Catering, Red Bank, N.J.

What's in Your Wok Fried Rice Competition, sponsored by Riviana Foods, Inc.
Ross Thompson, CSC, sous chef, The Plains at Parish Homestead, Oneonta, N.Y.; ACF Chefs and Cooks of the Catskill Mountains

The 2012 ACF Northeast Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions and goodwill.

Chapter of the Year
ACF Columbus Chapter, Columbus, Ohio

Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Capital District-Central New York, Schenectady, N.Y.
ACF Columbus Chapter, Columbus, Ohio
ACF Epicurean Club of Boston, Saugus, Mass.
ACF of Greater Buffalo New York, Buffalo, N.Y.
ACF Rhode Island Chapter, Saunderstown, R.I.

Cutting Edge Award
Guy Dunagan, culinary-arts instruct