ACF NORTHWEST INDIANA CHAPTER IN072

By John Bartimole

Founded in 1996, the ACF Northwest Indiana chapter has enjoyed a long run of loyal leaders over the years. Both the current president, ACF Chef Gabriel Rosado, CEC , and current board chair, ACF Chef Jim Galligan , have served multiple terms as president of the chapter — one that was recognized at the 2022 ACF National Convention as the Central Region Chapter of the Year.

Chef Galligan was the chapter’s first president at its founding in 1996 and has been with the chapter for most of its history. “Geographically, we’re located between Chicago, South Bend and Indianapolis,” he says. “At the time, there was no chapter in Northwest Indiana, and we thought it was the right time to start one to promote the chef profession in our area and to attract new people to the industry and to promote the ACF.”

The Northwest Indiana Chapter Officers

President

Chef Gabriel Rosado, CEC

Vice President

Chef David Siano

Vice President

Chef Darrick Tucker Jr.

Secretary

Chef Carol Baisden

Treasurer

Chef Elida Abeyta

Sergeant of Arms

Chef Ryan C. Smith

Chairman of the Board

Chef Jim Galligan

The chapter began with 17 charter members at its inception, and “from that time until today, we’ve always been active,” Chef Galligan says.

ACF Chef Cheryl Molenda , the immediate past board chair, says that a hallmark of the chapter is its sense of camaraderie and the members’ willingness to help each other. “Our strength is our cohesiveness,” she says. “If a chef in our area needs help, we’re there. And it’s not just the senior members who help out — it’s also students from Ivy Tech and the Purdue Northwest University hospitality program, as well as new members — they all help out.”

Today, the chapter has a membership of 30 to 40 chefs, “with a nucleus of 12 to 15 of us,” says Chef Galligan, referring to the chapter’s most core members. Even with a relatively smaller group, the chapter maintains regular activities. Most recently, the chapter began working with Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that seeks to build young girls’ confidence, self-esteem and decision-making skills, and donated hors d’oeuvres for a fundraising event for the organization. Also recently, the Northwest Indiana chapter sponsored a golf outing that raised $3,000 for the chapter, of which $1,000 was donated to World Central Kitchen, an organization that has served 200 million meals to communities impacted by disaster.

In addition, the chapter has a long-standing relationship with Meals on Wheels and supports the organization’s signature Dining with the Chefs gala by creating a five-course dinner prepared by local chefs, restaurants and ACF members. “The chefs come together and work to get each course out to the attending guests — we have a great time doing it!” Chef Molenda says. The chapter also works closely with Tri Kappa, a Greek service sorority that gives more than $1.5 million annually to a variety of Indiana-based charities. For Tri Kappa’s annual fundraising event, the chapter is often asked to provide the final dessert course — some 200 cookies, plus wine — which Chef Molenda says is the most popular part. “For us, it’s all about helping others,” she says. “As I always point out, there’s no ‘I’ in team — or in chef!”

Of course, like virtually every other chapter, this chapter has had its struggles, particularly during the pandemic. “The industry has evolved a bit because of COVID,” Chef Galligan says. “We typically hold two board meetings per month, and Zoom has made those meetings much more accessible for our chapter, which is geographically large.

“It’s also so much harder now for everyone to find cooks, and we all struggle a bit,” he continues. “Back in the day, it seemed to be more old-school, with chefs rising through the ranks and getting promoted. Now, because not as many individuals are going into the culinary field, it’s often that it’s necessary to have chefs skip positions and be promoted more quickly than in the past.”

Chef Molenda agrees. “I know of one instance where a student started as an intern — for all of three days — and then was promoted to sous chef,” she said. “But one thing that hasn’t changed is the passion that chefs have for their work. That remains.”

Due to these swift promotions, chapter members have taken on more responsibility to educate and train their members. “We try to arrange to have speakers or demonstrations for our members,” Chef Molenda says. “Once we restarted face-to-face meetings after [COVID-19 restrictions relaxed], we were also able to bring in purveyors to talk about what they had to offer. They have been very supportive.”

Says Chef Galligan, “Obviously, over the years, we’ve had some downturns, but we remain a very vibrant chapter. I was there at the start of this chapter, and I don’t want it to fail. The ACF offers a lot to our members in terms of networking and promoting the profession, and we just try to supply that information locally.”

That particular mission — promoting the profession — is key as academic institutions struggle to attract students to their culinary programs. Specifically, the culinary programs at Purdue University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College have seen dwindling numbers recently, especially in light of COVID-19.

“It used to be that Purdue had 30 to 50 students in the program, but now, it’s down to 12 to 15,” Chef

Molenda says. “Ivy Tech is experiencing the same issue. But we continue to offer scholarships that are always available to young culinarians. And we continue to do our best to promote the industry and culinary as a profession.”

Though at press time Chef Galligan was currently serving as president, he would be passing the reins to Chef Rosado in January, but would remain involved as the chapter’s chairman of the board.

“The new board has a lot of great ideas,” Chef Galligan says, “and we have some young energy coming in. I’m looking forward to bigger and better things for the chapter. Chef Gabe is a younger chef, and he will bring some new ideas to the chapter.”

In catching up with Chef Rosado, he says that while he has a plethora of plans for the chapter, the main focus in his mind is simple. “We want to do a meet-and-greet and introduce the ACF and our chapter to as many chefs and professionals as possible,” he says. “We want to show the value and benefits of being an ACF member and certification. We also work on educational seminars and presentations.”

Chef Rosado also says he plans to emphasize the importance of certification. “It’s a real calling card,” he says. “It shows to those who are making hiring decisions that you have the skills and the knowledge to fulfill that position. It’s very important.”

That said, to recruit potential new Northwest Indiana chapter members, “We are really going to push the ACF and the benefits it offers,” Chef Rosado says. “And to emphasize the importance of networking among members.”