ACF PROFESSIONAL CHEFS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (NH021)

By John Bartimole

While the Professional Chefs of New Hampshire organization was named the 2024 ACF Chapter of the Year for the small chapter category introduced by the ACF this year for the first time, there is nothing small about what the chapter does for its members — or for the culinary community it serves.

PCNH was founded in 1979. Members pride themselves on their educational offerings, ties to the community and outreach to chefs, both professional and aspiring.

“We owe our success to the support we get from our local chefs and from three prominent vocational schools (Alvirne High School, Concord High School and Nashua High School) in our area,” says ACF Chef Joe Allison, CEC, CCA, AAC , chapter president. “We have chefs who want to contribute to the chapter, to each other and to students. We’re very fortunate to have that.”

While the chapter’s paid member roster consists of 38 professionals, about 15 or 20 are active participants. “But even the retired chefs, or the chefs who can’t always attend our meetings, are supportive of our fundraising and networking efforts,” Chef Allison says.

Demos and Education

PCNH hosts its monthly meetings from September through June at different sites in the area (the chapter takes off July and August). Nine of its meetings feature a demonstration of some sort — usually drawing around 10 to 20 students from the aforementioned local schools.

“Those demonstrations aren’t so much for our professional members as they are for the students,” Chef Allison says. “We try to expose the students to skills they’ll need when they get into real kitchen situations. And for the professional chefs, it’s always a good refresher.”

Two prominent events that focus on preparing students for culinary competitions are the Burger

Slider Challenge and Cupcake Wars, which pair up local high school student teams to compete for the best creations on the savory and pastry sides. Most recently, the cupcake competition featured 14 teams, each consisting of two students.

Another popular recent event drew 75 attendees and was hosted by ACF Chef Perrin Long, CEC, CCE, AAC , president of the ACF’s White Mountain Chapter, also in New Hampshire.

“[Chef Long] did a complete foie gras presentation, including its removal from the duck,” Chef Allison says. “Now, most of us have worked with foie gras, but many of us had not seen it being removed. It was a great demonstration, and our chefs really appreciated it. It was a valuable learning experience.”

Chapters Supporting Chapters

Chef Allison says his chapter “really promotes supporting other chapters. Over the last two years, we have been working with the Epicurean Club of Boston (winner of the large category Chapter of the Year title) and attend their meetings,” he says. “We even teamed up with them to do a fundraiser — the Boston Seafood Festival — and split the proceeds between the two chapters.”

Fundraising Goals

A highlight of the year for PCNH members is the annual Epicurean Dinner, which also serves as the chapter’s largest fundraiser. “This year, we had 160 guests at the dinner,” Chef Allison says. “Because of the money we raised, we were able to award five $2,000 scholarships to students. Students earn the scholarships by being awarded points for involvement in the chapter, for attending meetings, demonstrations, etc. Our entire board reviews the applications and makes the determination of those who will receive the scholarships.”

Chef Allison is proud of the fact that even during the throes of COVID-19, the chapter was able to continue awarding scholarships, despite the fact that it could not hold its major fundraiser event.

“During COVID, we stopped having in-person meetings, though the board would meet via Zoom,” he says. “But holding the Epicurean Dinner was out of the question. Fortunately, we had a decent investment account already established and we were able to dig into that and still award the scholarships. Our plan, after COVID lifted, was to replenish the account over a period of several years. Well, we were able to put all the money back within one year. That shows the dedication of our members.”

Chef Allison points out that the rigors of the profession don’t always allow for time for networking and socialization. “But that’s one of the great benefits of the ACF and the chapter,” he says. “The meetings provide an opportunity for chefs to meet with each other and share common experiences. And it’s wonderful for students to learn firsthand from professionals about what the realities of being a chef are. Students don’t always understand what this business is really like. When you’re suddenly serving 200 to 300 people, students get wowed by the complexity of the operation and by its intensity.”