NEWS BITES

Hurricane Ian Recovery and Community Outreach

ACF Chef Amy Sins, founder of Fill the Needs, a volunteer-based organization supporting communities struck by natural disasters, coordinated the movement of several 18-wheeler trucks filled with food, water and supplies from her base in New Orleans to the Fort Myers area of Florida hit by Hurricane Ian. She also coordinated with Mercy Chefs, where ACF Chef Kristofer Jubinville (pictured on the left) was working with a team to provide 26,000 meals daily to those in need. ACF Chef Jeffrey Schlissel has been continuing to work with ACF chefs and others to plan and host events to raise funds for restaurant workers, farmers and others hit hard by the hurricane and resulting damage, with one event raising nearly $475,000. Visit filltheneeds.org to learn more and help out.

ACF Culinary Team USA is Headed to Luxembourg!

ACF’s top competitors will be packing their bags and traveling to Luxembourg for the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup taking place Nov. 26-30. The team of six will compete in both the Restaurant of Nations and Chef’s Table portions of the competition, during which competitors must plate 110 portions of a starter, seafood course, entrée and dessert and prepare a multiple course meal for 12 people, respectively. We’ll post a recap of the event in December on WeAreChefs.com

2023 National Competition Qualifiers

Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 National Competition Qualifiers, taking place March 11 – 13, 2023. Additional details, including the guidelines and information on location can be found at acfchefs.org/ competitions. All applications must be submitted by Dec. 31. For questions, email competitions@acfchefs.org

Speaker Proposal Submissions Now Open for NOLA!

Proposals for speakers are now being reviewed for the 2023 ACF National Convention, to be held July 17-19, 2023, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This is an incredible opportunity to present at the largest annual gathering of chefs, culinary students and foodservice professionals in the country. To submit a proposal and for more information, visit acfchefs.org/events

National Officer and AAC Nominations Open

Nominations are now open for ACF National officer positions (president, secretary, treasurer and regional vice presidents) and for American Academy of Chefs (AAC) chair and vice-chair. Deadline for submittal of all paperwork is Dec. 1. Visit acfchefs.org for more information and to apply.

2023 Award Applications

Applications for the ACF Chef of the Year and other national awards, along with the Cutting Edge, L. Edwin Brown, Hermann G. Rusch and others are now live. Access the guidelines and information for submitting applications at acfchefs.org/awards. Submittals for all applications are due no later than Dec. 31.

Salut

Chef Jay Rathmann, CEC, CCA, owner of BJ's Nevada Barbecue Co. in Sparks, Nevada, and president of the ACF High Sierra Chefs Association, took home the first-place trophy and top title at the annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook Off, a six-day event held during Labor Day weekend featuring more than 20 barbecue restaurants; Chef Rathmann has competed in the event for more than 30 years. For the win, he showcased his slow-smoked ribs with “plum crazy sauce” in a double-blind taste tasting.

ACF Chef Kevin Mitchell launched a ChefScholar Dinner Series celebrating historically renowned Black caterers, many of whom were newly freed slaves in Charleston in the 1800s. The first of several planned dinners — featuring the legacy of Chefs Eliza Seymour Lee, George S. Johnston, Thomas Tully and Nat Fuller — took place on Sept. 9 at The Parsonage in Charleston, South Carolina.

Do you have news or milestones to share? Email it all to communications@acfchefs.org!