Eleven Chefs Selected for Renowned ACF Culinary Team USA

Practice Begins in October for the Team's First International Competition in Luxembourg

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Sept. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eleven chefs from across the nation have been selected for ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative team for the U.S. in international culinary competitions. Twenty-five chefs competed in a two-phase tryout process held in June and August for an opportunity to be on the team.

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During the next few months, the selected chefs will work with team coaches to represent the U.S. in its first international competition at the 2014 Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg and the 2016 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA), commonly referred to as the "culinary Olympics," in Erfurt, Germany.

"To be on a team of this caliber, the decision was not just based on how well the chefs can cook," said Joseph Leonardi, CEC, team manager. "The judges and I selected the chefs who have the personal drive and passion and want to be part of ACF Culinary Team USA for the duration."

The 11 chefs will start practice in October for the Culinary World Cup held Nov 22-26, 2014. Unilever Food Solutions and NEWCHEF Fashion Inc. sponsor ACF Culinary Team USA.

The eleven chefs representing ACF Culinary Team USA are:

• Joseph Albertelli, executive chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; Chefs Association of Westchester and Lower Connecticut
• Brian Campbell, CEC^®, CCE^®, senior instructor, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, N.C.; ACF North Carolina Chapter
• George Castaneda, executive chef, Sodexo, Franklin, Tenn.; ACF Middle Tennessee Chapter
• Shawn Culp, CEC^®, culinary arts instructor, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Bridgeville, Pa.; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter
• Ben Grupe, sous chef, Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.
• Aaron Haga, CEC^®, chef tournant, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.; ACF Pikes Peak Chapter Inc.
• Jason Hall, CMC^®, executive chef, Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast, Fla.; ACF St. Augustine Chapter
• Adam Munroe, chef de cuisine, The Country Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
• Alison Murphy, executive pastry chef, The Vintage Club, Indian Wells, Calif.; ACF national member
• Matthew Seasock, CEC^®, executive sous chef, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas; ACF national member
• Corey Siegel, rounds cook, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York

ACF Culinary Team USA began competing in international competitions in 1956. The 1960 team captured the first world championship honor at the IKA and repeated the distinction in 1980, 1984 and 1988 by taking the prestigious hot-food competition and establishing a new world record for the most consecutive gold-medal wins. In 2002, ACF Culinary Team USA had the highest score in restaurant-style cooking among 32 nations, and in 2008, the regional team won the overall world championship title in the regional category. At the last IKA in 2012, ACF Culinary National Team USA won a silver medal in cold-food presentation—only one gold medal was awarded—and a silver medal in the hot-food kitchen, placing sixth overall.

About the American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 200 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, with the Certified Executive Chef^®, Certified Sous Chef^® and Certified Executive Pastry Chef^® designations the only culinary credentials accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. 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. Find ACF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACFChefs and on Twitter @ACFChefs.

SOURCE The American Culinary Federation, Inc.