The team gathered for the first time to begin preparations for four years of international culinary competition.
The American Culinary Federation (ACF) announced that after a rigorous selection process, eight talented chefs from across the United States have been named to the ACF Culinary Team USA 2020, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions. Five of the eight chefs are from clubs or resorts.
“This impressive group of professionals has earned the opportunity to represent American chefs and cuisine on the global stage, and we are more than confident that they are up to the challenge,” said ACF National President Stafford T. DeCambra, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC. “We look forward to following their progress as they train, and to cheering their successes in the coming years.”
The chefs, who were chosen after completing a multi-part application and competition process earlier this year, gathered for the first time on Nov. 11 and 12 for a practice session in Madison, Wisconsin. The inaugural gathering, sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, included a fundraising dinner with support from Mad City ACF Chapter. The team prepared a four-course menu in a competition-style format.
In the practice sessions and fundraisers over the coming year, the chefs will work with the team’s coaches and managers to prepare their first competition at the Culinary World Cup/EXPOGAST 2018 in Luxembourg. The team will go on to compete in a variety of international events culminating in the 2020 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics,” in Stuttgart, Germany.
“Not all chefs are great competitors, but the skills that lead to success in competition are valuable to all chefs,” said ACF Culinary Team USA Manager Reimund Pitz, CEC, CCE, AAC. “In assembling this Culinary Team USA, we looked for culinarians who demonstrated consummate skill and creativity, the ability to work as part of a team and a fierce dedication to the craft. As experienced competitors ourselves, the leadership team and I will endeavor to pass on our wisdom to these chefs, and to ensure that each of them has the resources they need to hone their abilities even further.”
The five club chefs of the 2020 ACF Culinary Team USA are:
- Stephen Bush, CEC, team chef, Sous Chef at The Club at Mediterra in Naples, Fla.
- Gerald Ford, CMC, team chef, Senior Sous Chef at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla.
- Thomas Haggerty, CCC, team chef, Sous Chef at the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, Fla.
- Geoffrey Lanez, CEC, team chef, Sous Chef at Somerset Club and CEO/owner of Burrd Productions in Boston, Mass.
- Lyn Wells, team chef, Sous Chef at Cowboy Kitchen/Club in Wellington, Utah and adjunct instructor at Utah Valley University Culinary Arts Institute
To learn more about ACF Culinary Team USA, including how to support their efforts, visit www.acfchefs.org/Team.
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