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Chefs de Cuisine Association of California, Inc.

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ACF / CCAC Los Angeles Chapter 
2nd Chef of the Year 2004 Competitions & Salon
"Standing Room Only - Chef Instructor Rudy Garcia wins Gold and his students sweep the competition"
(Scroll down see results, competitors & judges bios and pictures.)


Dennis Sheeler, 2004 Show Chair

Dear Members, Hospitality Professionals, and Friends,  

Thank you for  participating in and/or attending our 2^nd Annual Chef of the Year Los Angeles 2004 Culinary Competitions. 

This dramatic and exciting event took  place Monday, September 13, 2004, 9:30AM-5:30PM at the Southern California Gas Company (A Sempra Energy Utility) Energy Resource Center in Downey, California.    

Over 200 culinary pros and students participated in the standing room only competition. Wild cheers filled the room as Chef Instructor Rudy Garcia won  the Gold Medal for his Artic Char recipe in the (K-9) Hot food competition, sponsored by Santa Monica Seafood.   While his students from Los Angeles Mission College's Culinary Arts Institute, took home more gold and bronze medals in a single day then any culinary school in our chapters history. Eloise Cantrell Ed.D,CCE,AAC, Dean of Academic affairs for the Culinary Program was stunned and kept repeating, "They all worked so hard for this, I am so proud of them all". 

Chef Rudy Garcia, our new 2004 Chef of the Year Los Angeles,  displayed a quite, dignified, confidence all day. But now as his students gathered around him for a large victory photo,  Chef Rudy Garcia allowed himself one small tear - blinking as the camera's flashed. Then chef was engulfed in a sea of his students, judges, and fellow competitors.  Well wishers all, and all arms around him. 

More results of each competition categories are below.

This event will also benefit select Los Angeles Culinary students who will  provide a fundraising lunch on the patio at the Energy Resource Center. Sponsored by Broadleaf Game Meats, Fresh Point Produce. and Eurest Dining.

All Competitions are open to all chefs and culinary students! 
(Except Chef of the Year Los Angeles Hot Food K competition must be Sous chef or higher and work in the greater L.A. area.)

The  Annual Chef of the Year  2004 Los Angeles Culinary Competitions and Salon is organized by our ACF/Chefs de Cuisine of California, Los Angeles Chapter.  We are the first chapter to change our Chef of the Year winner, from a popularity vote to an intense "iron chef style" live cooking competition.  Participants come from a diverse field of highly regarded chefs, many from well known local establishments, hotels, clubs and the educational community. ACF Medals and prizes will be awarded. 

Professional Chef and Student Competitor Information: Results

Competitor Entry Deadline - September 05, 2004

ACF Sanctioned & Judged Competitions. Click on category for entry forms.  (All categories open to pro & student chefs except for K-9 for Sous Chefs or higher.) Early results, more information coming soon.

· Chef of the Year Los Angeles 2004. Hot Food (K-9)
  Sponsored by Santa Monica Seafood Company.  

The Gold Medal and our Chef of the Year Los Angeles goes to Rudy Garcia, CEC, CCE, Executive Chef / Chef Instructor Los Angeles Mission College's Culinary Arts Institute 

Bronze-Robert Baradaran, Riverside Culinary Academy
Bronze-Randy Torres, Orange Coast College Culinary
Bronze-Romeo Warren, Executive Chef, Bravo Cucina
Bronze-Whitney Werner, Executive Chef, Beach Club

·  The Nestle Signature Recipe Cold Food Competition. A)  
Sponsored by Nestle
Bronze-Miguel Bautista, Los Angeles Mission College
Bronze-Chris Fitzsimmons, L.A. Mission College
Bronze-Scott Lin, Los Angeles Mission College
Bronze-Westin Hernandez, Los Angeles Mission College

·  The Signature Recipe Cold Food Competition. (B)
Silver Medal - Randy Jones, Professional Chef

    Patisserie / Confectionery. (C)  
Sponsored by Chocolates a la carte'
Gold-Connie Vasquez, Los Angeles Mission College
Bronze-Deraki Vasquez, Los Angeles Mission College
Bronze-Julio Quequerona, L.A. Mission College

·  The Culinary Art Showpiece Competition. (D)   
Bronze-Martin Gilligan, CEC, Chef Instructor, Riverside Culinary Academy.

Non-ACF Sanctioned Open Competitions: (Results coming soon)

·The Best Tacos Recipe competition.

· The “Best Kobe Beef Burgers” Recipe Competition.
Sponsored by Broadleaf Meats

For directions to the Southern California Gas Company Energy Resource Center please click here.

All Competitions are open to all chefs in the greater Los Angeles Area.. Limited number of spaces for competitors in each category is available; submit your competitor package as soon as possible. Click on a category above for entry forms, formats, award listing, guidelines, official rules, and information. Note: Click here for free Adobe Acrobat reader if you cannot view or print forms below.

Free Registration:

General attendance registration for non-competitors was free to all hospitality/foodservice professionals and students click here to pre-register. now.  Your free passes will be at the event. 

Flier for off-line registration and entry forms request  click here

Please read information carefully, and follow instructions. 
Send signed and completed forms ASAP TO  sheelerdandv@aol.com or mail them to: Dennis Sheeler 284 N. Florence St, Burbank Ca. 91505. 

Attention Retired Chefs:  Please attend and share your knowledge. Please pre-register & call Carole Lung 323-791-9071 carolel@csbroadview.org

Questions?  Contact Dennis Sheeler, CCAC/ACFLA President, Chef of the Year Committee Chairman at sheelerdandv@aol.com or 818-434-8645. 

Excellent sponsorship opportunities are going fast for next year 2005 late summer.  Please contact show chair Dennis Sheeler for a prospectus. 

______________________________

Meet the 2004 ACF Sanctioned Panel of Judges.

Jill Bosich, CEC, CCE
Walter Leible, CMC, AAC Lead Judge
Mial Parker, CEC, CCE
Eulogio "Lloyd" Soleta, CEPC

Jill Bosich, CEC, CCE
Southern California Gas Company
9240 Firestone Blvd, SCERC7
Downey, CA 90241-5388
562-803-7305
jbosich@semprautilities.com

Chef Jill Bosich, captain of the 2000 United States Olympic Culinary Team, has served as the Dean of Culinary Education at Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College. Through the course of her career, she has been a culinary consultant and general manager, and served as Executive Chef at several restaurants, including Café Santorini in Old Pasadena.

At the  Art Institute, Chef Bosich is a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) and was the recipient of the Presidential Medallion from the American Culinary Federation in 2000. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and was awarded the ACF 2001 Chef Professional of the Year Award for the Southeastern Region.

At the 2000 International Culinary Olympics in Erfut, Germany, Chef Bosich and her teammates won one out of five gold medals and were awarded third place overall out of 41 teams worldwide.  

______________________________

Judge Leible picture coming soon.

Walter Leible C.M.C.
Assistant Director  
A.I. Culinary Arts Program

  The ONLY Certified Master Chef in Arizona, Chef Leible serves as Assistant Director for the Culinary Arts program at The Art Institute.

He is also a certified culinary judge, which enables him to judge other culinary professionals during international competitions. Chef Leible brings an extensive knowledge in beautiful plating and international cuisines. He served as Executive Chef for Sazzoni’s Restaurant, Royal Palms, Paradise Country Club, and A Different Pointe of View.

Chef Leible competed on the West Regional Culinary Team at the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany in 1992. He won one Team Gold Medal and one Individual Gold Medal. He has won various gold medals in local culinary competitions. Chef Leible has appeared locally on various television shows, winning the audience over with his great smile and warm sense of humor.

______________________________

Mial Parker, CEC, CCE
Chef Instructor Art Institute, Los Angeles
888-646-4610 x5228

Chef Parker was captain of the 1992 Culinary Olympic Team West while as an instructor at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. His culinary training includes a degree in Culinary Arts from Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; an apprenticeship at the London Chop House – Detroit, Michigan under the tutelage of the first certified Master Chef in the USA – Chef Milos Cihelka and a three year apprenticeship at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky and the Queens Royal Palace in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Chef Parker has received more than thirty awards in international culinary competitions including two Gold Medals and Cloverleaf at the 1988 Culinary Olympics and two Gold medals at the 1992 Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt Germany.

He coached numerous awarded winning student teams and continues to do the same today. He acts as a mentor and coach to many of his students and has served as an advisor to the California Culinary Team.

His most recent accomplishments were receiving special awards and medals including “Best in Show and High Score” at the 2003 Las Vegas Culinary Challenge.

Today, you can find Chef Parker as an instructor at the Art Institute of California in Los Angeles and Grossmont College in San Diego. He currently resides in San Diego, California. Enjoys surfing,  reading, and travel.

______________________________

(Picture  coming soon.)

Eulogio "Lloyd" Soleta, CEPC
Culinary Judge & Certification Examiner
Chef Instructor, North County Culinary Academy in San Deigo.
Executive Chef, Desert Hot Springs, California  

Chef Soleta brings international cooking experience to our panel and has worked in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Currently he works at an Indian owned casino in Palm Springs and a fine dinning restaurant as well. Besides his international knowledge he has won many culinary awards in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Los Vegas, San Jose, and New Orleans - including best of show and judges award.

My Name is Robert Baradaran. I have spent more than half of my life in the hospitality industry. I have worked in free standing restaurants, hotels and catering operations. I am a certified executive chef and certified chef educator with the American Culinary Federation. I moved back to Los Angeles twenty years ago when I transferred within an airline catering company. Currently Riverside Culinary Arts Academy. The instant gratification of training and teaching has always intrigued me and I have always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and techniques with other people. My main objective in competing is to meet other colleagues in the industry and measuring my skills against other culinarians. I look forward to this competition.

Chef Jason Sperber, Southern California native received much of his training from the Los Angeles Culinary Institute as well as many restaurants and hotels in Southern California. Jason received further training with our Regional Chef in Costa Mesa as well as Bunker Hill. He has been with Braemar for over 5 years, starting as a Sous Chef with Daniel Drumlake and later taking the reins as Executive Chef. Jason has consistently raised the integrity of the culinary experience for the Members as well as Employees by sharing his vast knowledge of cuisine and passion for cooking.

Jason Sperber
Executive Chef
Braemar Country Club
4001 Reseda Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91357

Website: http://www.braemarclub.com/

Born and raised in Riverside, California, Executive Chef, Randy Torres knew by the age of thirteen he wanted to be an Executive Chef. Immediately upon graduating from high school he went to Culinary School at Orange Coast College and received his Advanced Culinary Certification. He is presently finishing up his Associate Degree.

Chef Randy is actively involved in Culinary Competitions. His biggest accomplishment was receiving the International Metal with the California Culinary Team at the Culinary Olympics in Germany in October 2000. Chef Randy’s team ranked 4th in the United States and 10th in the world. The try out process began in 1998. Chef Randy ranked #1 in the Trials. The team practiced for two years prior to the Culinary Olympics Competition. There were eight Chefs’ on Randy’s team from California specializing in their own areas. Randy was in charge of two platters, the first a three-course lunch and the second a deli buffet platter. During this two-year period, the Team would meet and practice in Palm Springs monthly guided by Certified Master Chef’s getting the team ready.

These days, Chef Randy is getting ready for the next Culinary Olympics in 2004 back in Germany. Chef Randy will be a judge in the Trials this time and Team Captain for the State of California Culinary Olympic Team.

On top of this, Chef Randy is an instructor at Orange Coast College as the Team Manager of the Student Competition. Chef has coached four State Championship teams.

Chef Randy enjoys working at Bear Creek, especially the diversities-designing menus and preparing “comfort” and high-end food items for our members…items from country cookin’ to trendy.

Established more than 20 years ago, Orange Coast College's Culinary Arts Program today boasts 250 majors. Students in the program regularly bring home medals and ribbons from local, regional and national competitions.

Orange Coast College boasts one of the largest community college culinary arts programs in the nation. It is situated in a geographic region with an expanding hospitality industry. OCC's program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute (ACFEI), headquartered in St. Augustine, Fla.

OCC's Culinary Arts Department features three distinctly different programs. The programs include: a one-year Culinary Arts Certificate Program that acquaints students with the basics of cooking; a two-year Advanced Culinary Arts Program that prepares students for employment in the restaurant and hospitality industry; and, a three-year Cook Apprentice Program that provides students with more advanced skills. 

Randy Torres
Chef Instructor Orange Coast Community College
Executive Chef Bear Creek Golf Club
22640 Bear Creek Dr. North
Murrietta, CA. 92562

Bear Creek CC Web Site : http://www.bearcreekgc.com

Orange Coast College http://www.occ.cccd.edu/departments/culinary/culinary.htm

Club Culinary President & Cofounder-Executive Chef Whitney Werner, CEC Working in restaurant kitchens from the age of fifteen, Chef Whitney Werner, CEC, brings twenty-six years of experience to Club Culinary and the American Culinary Federation.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, in 1984, Chef Whitney started in pastry as part of the opening team of the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. He moved through the ranks of the kitchen working for top establishments such as Tavern on the Green, New York City, Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills and various Hilton Hotels nationwide. In addition, Chef Whitney brings us experience from the Far East, where he worked with established hotels such as the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, updating menus with current culinary trends.

Shortly after his return from the Far East, Chef Whitney was awarded four stars for his French-Russian cuisine at Le Bel Age Hotel in Hollywood, California. Thereafter, Chef Whitney opened his own restaurant, “Whitney’s,” on the famous restaurant row of Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, California. Chef Whitney enjoyed many successful years of high profile celebrity clientele that gave him the reputation on the West Coast, which he is still known for today.

After traveling the world and reaching his ultimate goal, Chef Whitney wanted to give back to the culinary field. He joined the American Culinary Federation and took a position as chef instructor at the Los Angeles Culinary Institute with Certified Master Chef Raimund Hofmeister to be involved with the development of the new crop of young chefs.

Having grown up in Santa Monica, Chef Whitney could not resist the offer as executive chef at The Beach Club in Santa Monica, the oldest and most prestigious club on the shores of Southern California.

Now, after branding the dining room “Whitney’s,” and enjoying the sixth record-breaking year at The Beach Club, the culinary culture of west coast clubs has been changed forever. Chef Whitney has been speaking throughout the country to provide private clubs the insight to revitalize their restaurants and compete with outside competition. Chef Whitney has also given seminars at the Club Managers Association world conferences and aspires to further his certification to certified master chef. 

Whitney Werner, CEC
Executive Chef The Beach Club
201 Palisades Beach Road
Santa Monica Ca. 90402

Web Sites: www.clubculinary.com,  jrchefsacademy.com

Executive Chef Romeo Warin  was born in Paris and grew up in Southern France on the Nice Riviera.  I started cooking at the age of twelve, in our family restaurant with my step-father, for three years. Afterwards, I went to the culinary school of Cagnes/mer “Auguste Escoffier”. Two years later, I got my diploma as cook and restaurant beginner and went to Corsica to open a restaurant called “Le Blanc-Bleu” which specialized in fish and seafood.

  A year later, I came back to Nice and worked with Chef and owner Alain Leloup of “Le Gourmet Lorrain”, two stars Gault & Millaut.  Then I went to St.-Tropez and worked for Chef Owner Jean-Claude Bordat at Lou Castellas in Ramatuelle. Two years later, at the age of twenty I returned  to Nice and opened my own Provencale Restaurant with my Mother for three Years.

My first step in America was in 2000, I worked  in Los Angeles for Bernard J. Jacoupy owner of Lunaria restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd., in Century City. Then came the Provence Café which embraced my original cuisine and is where I am able to express myself as the  young chef from Provence.  I cook with love and passion every day and am always looking for new challenges.  I am also very excited to be in America in Los Angeles and to meet all the great chefs of this city.  

Chef Romeo started a few years ago to look for an amazing way to grow money without purchasing a lot. After practicing the old methods that he has been taught here in America and back in France with his step-father, Raymond Poinsignon master chef in Alsace Lorraine. He finally got the feeling that he was going to the wrong direction. So he decided to back up and went back to the base, the basic way to work is to do everything yourself, you save up on labor and you keep an eye on everything, but he realized very quickly that he burnt out his battery, in fact the human body is like a machine and it! needs good fuel and good care to work with a hundred percent efficacy.

Let say that it wasn’t easy but with a mind of a perfectionist and the love of his work, with the owner of BRAVO CUCINA chef Romeo was able to explore more than just a system of work; it was also about the energy around the system, the people the individuals as they say. And it always has been the same problem for who wants to create a good dish needs great feelings, the vibe that he could transfer from his heart to his brain then to his hand into the food. This; my friend is the true and powerful meaning of all.

So in order to helping you creating profit we’ll begin by creating the vibe.

A good system in the wrong hands ends by becoming the wrong system.

This message is the experience of Chef Romeo from France to America, and it is a great honor to introduce that to you and your team as a gift to make life easier for all of us.

Make work a passion, make our passion our work.

-Chef Romeo Warin

We would like to thank all our competitors, participants and sponsors for supporting a successful culinary competition. We look forward to working with you as we move towards the 2005 culinary competition.

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 Official Gold Sponsors 

Santa Monica Seafood

Silver Sponsors

///GS FOODS
Goldberg and Solovy Foods, Inc

Bronze Sponsors

Fresh Point Produce

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