Teaching F R O M t h e H E A R The 2010 Chef Educator of the Year offers passion and
he 2010 Chef Educator of the Year offers passion and energy to engage students. By Jerald Chesser, Ed.D., CEC, CCE, FMP, AAC
THE American Culinary Federation
2010 Chef Educator of the Year is
Jeffrey Brown, Ed.D., CEC, CCE, CHE, an
associate professor in The Collins College
of Hospitality Management at California
State Polytechnic University, Pomona,
Calif. An educator and chef for more than
35 years, Brown received the award at the
ACF President’s Grand Ball in Anaheim,
Calif., Aug. 5. “This is the greatest moment
in my career,” he said.
The Collins College. He has published
articles on culinary education and cuisine.
Dave Smith Photographer
He began that career at age 13 as a
dishwasher, and says ACF gave him an edge—
certification. Now, he says, the Chef Educator
of the Year award is a validation of his expertise
as an educator and a master teacher.
Brown is a member of Chaîne des
Rôtisseurs, the International Council on
Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education
and the National Restaurant Association.
He is a graduate of The Culinary Institute
of America, Hyde Park, N. Y. In addition,
he holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel
restaurant management from Webber
College, Babson Park, Fla., a Master of Arts
in higher-education administration from
West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.,
and a doctorate in education, in curriculum
theory, from Georgia Southern University,
Statesboro, Ga.
The identification, fabrication and
preparation of shrimp was part of Jeffrey
Brown’s winning Chef Educator of the
Year presentation.
His professional career has included being
personal chef to King Hussein of Jordan
and general/district manager for Velvet
Turtle restaurants, a division of Saga Corp.,
Menlo Park, Calif. He was dean of faculty
at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary
Arts, Pittsburgh, and department chair of
the Hotel, Restaurant and Culinary Arts
Program at Santa Barbara City College,
Santa Barbara, Calif., before joining
Brown, who is a member of ACF Southern
California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks
Association, represented the Western Region
in the competition. He competed with Maureen
Costello-Garfolo, CEC, CCE, Northeast
Region Chef Educator of the Year, Timothy
Meyers, CCC, CCE, Central Region Chef
Educator of the Year, and Kenneth Bourgoin,
CEC, Southeast Region Chef Educator
of the Year. Each finalist was required to
