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Chefs Gather in Scottsdale, Ariz., for American Culinary Federation

Western Regional Conference, April 29-May 2 at Talking Stick Resort

St. Augustine, Fla., April 6, 2011—Native American cuisine, healthy kids’ menus, sustainability and gluten
intolerance are some of the topics hundreds of chefs will discuss April 29-May 2, 2011 during the American
Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Western Regional Conference held at the Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz.,.
Hosted by ACF Chefs Association of Arizona, Inc., the conference brings together foodservice professionals,
chefs and students from across the Northeast for networking and educational opportunities, a trade show,
cooking competitions and demonstrations from the region’s best chefs.

Cooking competitions take place off-site at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale (8100 East Camelback Rd., Suite 1001, Scottsdale, AZ 85251). Winners of the regional competitions will advance to the national competitions in Dallas in July. All competition winners will be announced May 2 during the awards gala.

Several area chefs will speak at the conference, including Freddie Bitsoie of FJBits
Concepts & Consultant, Scottsdale. Bitsoie, a member of the Diné (Navajo) tribe, will host
a cooking demo on Native American cuisine exploring how Arizona’s cuisine has evolved.
Also, Jon-Paul Hutchins, CEC, CCE, executive chef at Le Cordon Bleu College of
Culinary Arts—Scottsdale, will give the keynote address during General Session, May 1.

2011-WE Program Guide-Schedule (2)

Saturday, April 30:

· Student Team Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Ten
student teams, including one from Phoenix, compete in the cold-food platters
portion of the competition.
· Chef of the Year competition, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions: 8:15-10:10
a.m. Five chefs, including one from Phoenix, compete for the regional title.
· World of Flavors: Greece and Japan, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions,
8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
· Plating and Presentation Techniques, sponsored by American Technical
Publishers: 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
· Student Chef of the Year competition, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.: 9:30-11:10 a.m. Four
culinary students compete for the regional title.
· Pastry Chef of the Year competition, sponsored by Splenda®: 10:15-11:55 a.m. Two chefs compete.
· Native American Cuisine and Art: 10:30 a.m.-noon. This demonstration shows how foods from
Arizona have evolved from pre-Iberian times and changed with the arrival of European influences.
· East Meets West: Dough Art: 10:30 a.m.-noon. Learn to make German spaetzle and Chinese handpulled
noodles from Bill Sy, CEC, AAC, and Walter Leible, CMC, AAC, an instructor at The Art Institute
of Phoenix.
· Helping Kids Make Healthy Food Choices: A Role for Chefs: 10:30 a.m.-noon.
· Trade show: noon-4 p.m. Attendees network and view the latest culinary products. The Paella, Please!
competition also takes place live on the trade show floor.
-more2
· Arizona Wine Wisdom, sponsored by Arizona Wine Growers: 4-5:30 p.m.
· Spice Up Your Menu—Green Chile Style, sponsored by New Mexico Department of Agriculture: 4-
5:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 1:
· Student Team Championship: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Student teams compete in the hot-foods category.
· Composing Flavors, sponsored by McCormick For Chefs: 8-9:30 a.m.
· The Scoop on Sodium: 8-9:30 a.m.
· Balancing Protein: Culinary Science Strategies for Chefs, sponsored by MenuMax: 10-11:30 a.m.
· Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers: 11:30
a.m.-2:30 p.m. Seven student teams answer challenging cooking questions in this “Jeopardy”-style
competition.
· General Session: 1:15-5 p.m. Hutchins delivers the keynote address and several honors are
presented.
· The Principles of Beer: 6-7:30 p.m. Learn about the basic beer flavors and food-pairing tips.
Monday, May 2:
· Rethinking Children’s Menus, sponsored by MenuMax: 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
· Practical Molecular Cuisine: 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
· Whole Grains and Gluten Intolerance sponsored by MenuMax: 1:15-2:45 p.m.
· The China You’ve Never Seen, sponsored by Vitamix: 1:15-2:45 p.m.
· Sensory Sensations: 3:15-4:45 p.m. Learn about the fifth taste: umami.
· Regional Awards Gala, sponsored by Splenda® and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board: 7-10 p.m.
All award winners are announced at this formal dinner event.
The conference is open to foodservice professionals and culinary enthusiasts. Registration is required. Guests
can register on-site. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org/events or call (800) 624-9458.
Sponsors of the 2011 ACF Western Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: American
Technical Publishers; Arizona Beef Council; Barry Callebaut; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Cargill Salt; The
Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Ecolab; Kingsburg Orchards; Koch Foods, Inc.; Mars
Foodservice; McCormick For Chefs; MenuMax; MINOR’S®; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s; R.L.
Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Splenda®; Sysco; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Food Solutions; U.S.
Foodservice; Vitamix Corp.; and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for
culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the
culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In
addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is
home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international
culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in
children and to combat childhood obesity.

For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

Editor’s note:   Media is invited to attend.    Contact Leah Craig for press credentials at lcraig@acfchefs.net or
904-484-0213.

Madonna Kash

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