Chefs, students, and foodservice professionals gathered for professional development and culinary trend seminars at the 2014 American Culinary Federation (ACF) Western Regional Conference, held March 2-5 at the Oakland Marriott City Center, Oakland, California.

More than 25 chefs, students, chapters, and foodservice professionals were presented with American Culinary Federation awards during the conference. Award competitions took place to determine ACF Western Region Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Student Chef of the Year, Student Team Championship, and Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl.

The conference theme was “Embracing a Sustainable Future,” and many of the demonstrations and seminars focused on how to incorporate green and sustainable cooking concepts into restaurant kitchens and onto menus. Attendees enjoyed culinary demonstrations from Martin Yan, HAAC, HHOF, executive chef/owner of M.Y. China, San Francisco; Ben Vaughn from Food Network’s “Health Inspectors;” Chris Jones, director of culinary innovation, Hampton Creek Foods; and Sebastien Canonne, MOF, cofounder, The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College at City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago.

The following ACF Western Region competition award winners will compete for their respective national titles at the 2014 ACF National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, July 25-29. 

ACF Western Region Chef of the Year, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions
Jinkuk Lee, chef de cuisine, The Chef’s Table, Orem, Utah, ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc.

ACF Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year, sponsored by Plugrá European-Style Butter
Chris Cwierz, chef instructor/faculty development liaison, The Art Institute of Phoenix, ACF Chef’s Association of Arizona

ACF Western Region Chef Educator of the Year
Noel G. Ridsdale, CEC, CCE, AAC, academic director, The Art Institute of Tucson, Tucson, AZ, ACF Chefs Association of Southern Arizona

ACF Western Region Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award
Walter Leible, CMC, AAC, senior culinary instructor/assistant professor, The Art Institute of Phoenix, ACF Chef’s Association of Arizona

ACF Western Region Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award, sponsored by MINOR’S
Melody Money, CEC, executive chef, Quaker Ridge Camp & Conference Center, Woodland Park, CO, ACF Pikes Peak Chapter

ACF Western Region Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc.
Victor Perez Ruiz, student, Culinary Arts Institute at Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter

ACF Western Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers
Students representing Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland, WA

ACF Western Region Student Team Regional Championship, sponsored by R.L. Schreiber, Inc.
Students representing Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles

The 2014 ACF Western Regional Conference award recipients listed below were recognized for their outstanding contributions to ACF, goodwill in their communities, and/or culinary excellence.

ACF Western Region Chapter of the Year
ACF Monterey Bay Chapter, Monterey, CA

ACF Western Region Chapter Achievement Award
ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of Oregon, Portland, OR
ACF High Sierra Chefs Association, Reno, NV
ACF Idaho Chefs de Cuisine, Boise, ID
ACF Monterey Bay Chapter, Monterey, CA

ACF World of Thanks
ACF San Francisco Chapter

ACF Western Region Cutting Edge Award
Joseph Eidem, CEC, AAC, director/executive chef, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA, ACF High Sierra Chefs Association
Paul Lee, CEC, director, Drummond Culinary Academy, Salinas, CA, ACF Monterey Bay Chapter
Jon “Mike” Lodi, chef instructor, Rescue Mission Alliance, Oxnard, CA, Ventura Chefs Association
Ken Love, executive director, Master Food Preservers, Captain Cook, Hawaii, ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs Association
Thomas Rosenberger, CEC, CHE, FMP, CFPM, department chair, College of Southern Nevada, North Las Vegas, ACF Chefs Las Vegas

ACF Western Region President’s Medallion
John Fisher, CEC, CCE, AAC, senior chef arts instructor, Renton Technical College, Renton, WA, ACF Washington State Chefs Association
Gary Fuller, CEC, CCE, AAC, president, Two Snooty Chefs/Seattle Seasonings LLC, Port Orchard, WA, ACF Washington State Chefs Association
Cynthia Grace Gregorio, professor, American Hospitality Academy, Makati City, Philippines, ACF Philippines
Jean Hull, CCE, AAC, owner, Hospitality Consulting by Jean, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, ACF Kona-Kohala Chefs Association
Reilly Meehan, line cook, Parallel 37 at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, ACF San Francisco Chapter
Garry Waldie, CEC, CEPC, CCE, AAC, lead instructor, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ, ACF San Francisco Chapter

ACF Western Region Achievement of Excellence Awards
Alan Wong’s Restaurants, Honolulu
The Inventing Room, Denver
Willowstone Catering & Events, Concord, CA