AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION
ANNOUNCES NEW NATIONAL OFFICERS
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL., June 10, 2005— American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), the premier professional organization for culinarians in the United States, announces the 2005-2009 national officers, who will take office on August 3, 2005.
PRESIDENT ELECT - John Kinsella, Certified Master Chef (CMC), Certified Culinary Educator (CCE), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - Kinsella is the president and CEO of Kincom, Inc., and senior chef instructor at Midwest Culinary Institute, Cincinnati. An ACF Member since 1975, he has held many leadership positions within the organization. Kinsella served as national secretary, 1988-1990 and 1996-2000; as chair, Chef of the Year committee, 1984-1990; and as president of ACF Greater Cincinnati Chapter, 2000-2004. He is also the author of Professional Charcuterie. As a Certified Master Chef, he is one of only 58 in the U.S.
SECRETARY ELECT - Walter Bronowitz, Certified Chef de Cuisine (CCC), Certified Culinary Educator (CCE), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - A culinary educator for nearly 25 years, Bronowitz has served on the ACF board of directors since 2001 as Western Region vice president. He also has served on the national bylaws committee and as national certification chair. Bronowitz was awarded two ACF president’s medallions and served the ACF Washington State Chefs Association as president and board member. He most recently was Washington State culinary-apprenticeship coordinator in Seattle, and editor of American Personal Chef Association's The Professional Personal Chef college edition textbook.
TREASURER ELECT - Joe Aiello, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - An ACF member since 1977, Aiello has served as treasurer and president for ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc. In addition, he serves as regional correspondent for the AAC newsletter, Courier. Aiello was named chapter Chef of the Year in 1987 and is the owner of Apropo Catering in Schiller Park, Ill.
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CENTRAL REGION VICE PRESIDENT ELECT - David Russell, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - Currently division corporate chef for Unilever Foodsolutions in Lisle, Ill., Russell has served many leadership roles in ACF Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc. He is the AAC national director of public relations, and senior editor of the AAC newsletter, Courier. Russell also is the recipient of a 1999 ACF president’s medallion and 1995 Chapter Chef of the Year award.
NORTHEASTERN REGION VICE PRESIDENT ELECT - Mark Wright, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - Wright is currently a culinary educator at Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y. and executive chef at Crag Burn Golf Club in East Aurora, NY. An active member in ACF for more than 30 years, he most recently served on the board as treasurer. Wright has been active in the ACF of Greater Buffalo New York chapter as president, treasurer, sergeant-at-arms and chairman.
SOUTHEASTERN REGION VICE PRESIDENT ELECT - Elizabeth Baase, Certified Executive Chef (CEC) - Baase is owner of Avolines Private Catering and Consulting in Perry, Ga. She has won the ACF Middle Georgia Chefs Association Chapter Chef of the Year award four times and has served as chapter president, vice president and secretary. In 1998, she won the Southeastern Region Chef of the Year award and won the ACF Outstanding Dedication award in 1997.
WESTERN REGION VICE PRESIDENT ELECT - Harry Brockwell, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - Brockwell has served ACF as president of ACF Channel Islands Chefs Association, and won chapter Chef of the Year twice. In addition, he was named Western Region Chef of the Year in 1996 and has been awarded two ACF president’s medallions. Brockwell was the ACF California State representative for two years. He owns Oceanside Caterers in Westlake Village, Calif.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHEFS CHAIR ELECT - John Minniti, Certified Culinary Educator (CCE), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) - Minniti is the culinary arts coordinator for Cinnaminson Board of Education in New Jersey. He belongs to ACF Professional Chefs Association of New Jersey, and has been on the AAC board of directors since 1999 as national vice chair, transitioning to chair in 2003. In addition, Minniti is a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Honorable Honor of the Golden Toque, Epicurean World Master Chefs Society and Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey Board of Trustees.
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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHEFS VICE CHAIR ELECT - Thomas Macrina, Certified Executive Chef (CEC) - As executive corporate chef at the Desmond Great Valley Hotel in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., Macrina is a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Honorable Honor of the Golden Toque, and serves on the board of directors for the Salvation Army Philadelphia. He has been president of ACF Philadelphia Chapter since 1996, and was the coach of the ACF Culinary Team USA 2004 Youth Team.
As current ACF President, Edward G. Leonard, CMC, AAC, will become Immediate Past President once the new officers are installed on August 3. Leonard has been ACF president since 2001, as well as the vice president of the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS). He is manager and team captain for ACF Culinary Team USA 2004 and 2008; the team won a gold medal at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, or “culinary Olympics” in October 2004. In addition, he is author of Tastes and Tales of Chef: The Apprentice’s Journey and Cooking with America’s Championship Team: Sizzling Recipes from Chef Edward G. Leonard, CMC, and the American Championship Culinary Team. Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., presented him with an honorary doctorate in culinary arts in May 2005.
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in America. With nearly 20,000 members and 240 chapters nationwide, ACF offers educational resources, training, professional certification, apprenticeship and accreditation programs. In addition, the ACF is the presidium for the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS), the international network of chefs associations, with more than eight million members globally. For more information, please visit www.acfchefs.org.
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*** Head shots of the new officers are available upon request***
Chef2Chef News Desk