Chefs have a lot in common. In addition to our love of cooking, we are a giving roup. We like to make people happy by preparing delicious food—we are even willing to auction off our talents to cook in people’s homes. And when it comes to volunteering for
community events, we turn
out in large numbers.
In 2010, we implemented
Chefs Outreach to the
Community at our national
convention. The idea came
from my involvement in
Marriott’s Spirit to Serve
program, in which Marriott
employees and customers
participated in projects
to show appreciation to a
different host city each year.
Similarly, Chefs Outreach
to the Community allows
us to use our talent and time
to make a difference in the
communities where we hold
our annual conventions.
recruited chefs to prepare the
dinner. This is an excellent
example of chefs working in
the community.
CHEFS DO CARE
But dare I say that we
have barely touched the
tip of the iceberg in our
communities? There are so
many opportunities to make a
difference. The good news is
that more and more chefs are
getting involved.
During the 1989 ACF National
Convention in Las Vegas,
then national president Jack
Braun, CEC, AAC, HOF,
presented The Chef and the
Child Foundation (CCF)
and led a discussion about
the first World Chefs Tour
Against Hunger. Both of these
initiatives are still in place
today. ACF chapters embraced
CCF, and they are still working
in their communities on
programs that benefit children
and encourage healthy eating.
A World Chefs Tour Against
Hunger took place in South
Africa last year.
In January, I had the
privilege of speaking at
the Drummond Culinary
Academy (DCA) at Rancho
Cielo in Monterey, Calif.,
during its Culinary Round
Up fundraiser. Proceeds
support Rancho Cielo, a
learning and social services
center for underserved youth
in Monterey County. DCA,
one of several Rancho Cielo
programs, helps transform
students’ lives by teaching
skills and offering on-the-
job training and professional
mentorship to prepare them
for work in restaurants. Bert
Cutino, CEC, AAC, HBOT,
HOF, Rancho Cielo board
member and event chair,
A program that chefs all
over the U.S. have embraced
with enthusiasm is Chefs
Move to Schools, which
began in June 2010 as part
of the Let’s Move! initiative
dedicated to solving
childhood obesity. Chefs
partner with schools in their
communities and work with
teachers, parents and school
nutrition professionals to
help educate kids about
food and nutrition. They
have developed gardens,
introduced salad bars,
created healthier recipes,
hosted educational
demonstrations and
empowered kids with the
knowledge they need to
make healthy decisions.
new coalition of culinary,
nutrition and school
organizations will oversee
the program, previously
administered by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Leading the coalition is ACF
and the School Nutrition
Association. We should be
proud that ACF is actively
involved in this endeavor that
benefits all communities.
We talk about giving back
to the profession, but
realistically, it is about paying
it forward, as I learned while
watching a movie with this
theme (Pay It Forward, 2000).
A student’s class project is
to come up with a way to
change the world through
direct action. He devises a plan
to “pay it forward” by doing
a good deed for three people
who must in turn each do good
deeds for three other people.
TOP RIGHT: Participants in the Culinary Round Up at Drummond Culinary Academy
are, left to right: Bert Cutino; Marcus Whisenant, CEC; Tene Shake; Sunny Rivera;
Paul Lee, CEC; Angela Galvez; Martin Castro; Cassandra Adkins; Michael Ty; Kirsten
Berger; Chantel Amaro; Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC; Reyna Gabot; Eric Alvarez; Desiree
Cabrera; Chelsea Whisenant; and Ashley Corona.
Recently, a new Chefs
Move to Schools website,
www.chefsmovetoschools.
org, was launched, and
it was announced that a
Imagine if we did this in our
communities as we work on
our volunteer efforts. Caring
chefs can make a difference.
