The National Culinary Review

ACF CULINARY TEAM USA
Six Chefs Earn a Place on ACF
Culinary Team USA

ACF Culinary Team USA Manager Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, has named the following chefs to ACF Culinary National Team USA: Timothy Bucci, CEC, CCE, CHE; Anthony “Ben” Grupe; Joseph Leonardi, CEC; Timothy Prefontaine, CEC; J. Kevin Storm, CEC, CCA, AAC; and Eddie Tancredi. The announcement followed hot-food tryouts at Elgin Community College, Elgin, Ill., April 10.

Timothy Bucci, CEC,
CCE, CHE

Chef/Professor
Joliet Junior College,
Joliet, Ill
ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

Timothy Prefontaine, CEC
Executive Chef
The Fort Worth Club,
Fort Worth, Texas
ACF National Chapter

“We had an exceptional group of candidates try out for the team, and these chefs represent the best of everyone’s efforts,” said Jilleba, a corporate executive chef at Unilever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill., who has a long history with ACF Culinary Team USA. “This was a true test of skills that put chefs up against other chefs, and the work and creativity from these candidates was impressive. These six team members showed that they were striving for perfection and making every effort to reach excellence.

Anthony “Ben” Grupe
Sous Chef
St. Louis Country Club,
St. Louis
Chefs de Cuisine Association
of St. Louis Inc.

J. Kevin Storm, CEC,
CCA, AAC

Executive Chef
Bellerive Country Club,
St. Louis
Chefs de Cuisine Association
of St. Louis Inc.

Joseph Leonardi, CEC
Executive Chef
Somerset Club,
Boston
ACF Rhode Island Chapter

Eddie Tancredi

Sous Chef
New Albany Country Club,
New Albany, Ohio
ACF Columbus Chapter

(IKA) in Erfurt, Germany, in 2012. The IKA has been held every four years in Germany since 1900.

“The team represents the U.S. on the
global stage, and team members will
have the opportunity to continue to hone
their skills in the kitchen under pressure
and better themselves in all kinds of
ways. It will revolutionize their thoughts
on food and cuisine, and expose them to
remarkable ways of practicing their craft
as they represent their country.”
The U.S. has an impressive record at the
IKA. In 1976, Culinary Team USA brought
home a record number of medals, including
28 gold, and tied for third place with France
overall. The 1988 U.S. team was awarded
the highest IKA honor—World Champions. In
2004, at the 21st IKA in Erfurt, the national
team won back the title in hot-food cookery.

The team will compete at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg in November and at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung

ACF Culinary Team USA is taking applications for a youth team to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung. Teams of four members and an alternate should submit an ACF Culinary Youth Team USA application to Michelle Whitfield at the ACF national office to be received by May 31, 2010. Team members cannot be older than 25 on Dec. 30, 2012. An entry fee of

$250 and a letter of commitment from the team members’ chapter must accompany the application. Youth team tryouts will be held during the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2-5.