National Culinary Review

A PERFECT HOST BY MICHELLE WHITFIELD

A good place to
practice is vital to a
culinary team, and
ACF Culinary Team
USA is fortunate to
enjoy facilities at
Johnson & Wales University’s (JWU)
four campuses in Charlotte, N.C., Denver,
Miami, Fla., and Providence, R.I., as its
official practice site. Each campus offers
valuable support for the team’s practice
sessions, leaving team members free to
focus on the task at hand.

The advantages work both ways, giving students and staff at the schools a unique opportunity to experience ACF Culinary Team USA firsthand, watching and learning as the team practices. “It’s important for us to give back to the community and share our expertise with future culinarians,” says team manager Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC. “We want to inspire them to be even better and aim for culinary greatness.” Karl Guggenmos, AAC, university dean of culinary education at Johnson & Wales, says the partnership is mutually beneficial. “For Johnson & Wales University, hosting ACF Culinary Team USA’s practices is an honor. We pride ourselves on educating students for a diverse and dynamic foodservice industry and believe that competition can be an incredible outlet for professionals to bestow their talents in a most creative and artistic forum.

“Culinary is a true art, and I firmly believe that competition allows culinary professionals to use food and ingredients in a more visual and

artistic manner, where they can create some of the most amazing showpieces and presentations. Hosting the team allows us to practice what we preach and create alliances that can only enhance the world of culinary arts and the experiences that our faculty and students receive here at Johnson & Wales University.” JWU continues to support ACF Culinary Team USA as the team trains and prepares to represent American chefs at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Exhibition, also known as the “culinary Olympics,” in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 5-10, 2012.