Low Country American Culinary Federation Honors 2012 Chefs

#1248 | January 30, 2012

SAVANNAH – Three chefs were honored for excellence at the Low Country Chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chef’s President Ball & Award Dinner on Friday, Jan. 27 at Savannah Technical College’s Savannah Campus.

ACF of the Low Country’s Chapter President Ron Andrew recognized Anthony Gates as its 2012 Chef of the Year. Gates is Executive Chef at Spring Island and the treasurer of the ACF Low Country Chapter.

Savannah Technical College’s Department Head and Instructor of Culinary Arts Chef Jean Yves Vendeville was honored as the American Culinary Federation’s Low Country Chapter 2012 Chef Educator of the Year.

“Without my students, I would not shine,” said Chef Jean. “It is a pleasure to be here at Savannah Technical College.”

Culinary Institute of Savannah student Victoria Weygand was selected as the 2012 Student Chef of the Year. She is a member of the STC Hot Food Team and will graduate in May 2012 with an associate degree in culinary arts. Other STC students that were nominated for the award based on their work ethic, dependability, contributions to the community and student work were Cameron Harper, Joseph Poulin and Angela Real.

Vendeville has been with STC since December 2008 and has led student teams to two consecutive American Culinary Federation (ACF) Southeast Regional Championships – in 2010 in the Hot Food Team competition and in 2011 in the Knowledge Bowl competition. Vendeville recently achieved his ACF Lifetime Certification as an Executive Pastry Chef. He also holds a Lifetime Certification as an Executive Chef from the Chef Association of America. He is the vice president of the Low Country ACF Chapter.

The ACF Low Country Chapter is involved in continuing education and with its communities in Savannah and Statesboro, Ga., and in Bluffton and Hilton Head, S.C. Andrew announced that the chapter would give $500 to the Ronald McDonald House in Chef Frederick Nussbaum’s honor.

About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning more than 210 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® designation the only culinary credential 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.

Savannah Technical College serves coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Savannah, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 4,500 credit students each semester, Savannah Tech offers nearly 100 different instructional programs in Business and Technology, Public Service, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry. The College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree.

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Contact:
Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu