(Washington, D.C.) The National Restaurant Association is proud to recognize the winners of the quadrennial American Culinary Classic (ACC) held at the 2007 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® which took place May 19-22 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The ACC is the largest, most prestigious international culinary competition in the U.S. Twelve six-member culinary teams, each representing the top chefs in their country, competed in both hot and cold food categories, and were evaluated on creativity, blending of flavor, presentation, timing and technique.
The first place winner was Switzerland, capturing an impressive third win for the Swiss team – having won in 1995, 1999 and 2007. The eleven other teams placed as follows: 2nd – Canada; 3rd – Norway; 4th – USA; 5th – Germany; 6th – Great Britain; 7th – Czech Republic; 8th – Wales; 9th – Italy; 10th – New Zealand; 11th – Turkey; 12th – Bahamas.
“Congratulations to Team Switzerland on their remarkable third win of the American Culinary Classic,” said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2007 Show, and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood, Inc. “It was extraordinary to see all of the top international teams use their collaborative creativity to dazzle attendees and judges with innovative techniques, ingredients and presentations.”
The American Culinary Classic is owned and produced by the National Restaurant Association in cooperation with the American Culinary Federation, and is sanctioned by the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS). The teams’ creations were reviewed by a panel of international WACS approved judges specially selected for The American Culinary Classic. The competition is open to national culinary teams in countries recognized by WACS.
In addition to the ACC, the annual Ice Carving Classic competition brought another exciting, culinary-related event to the 2007 Show. Top ice carvers from around the country competed for the $2,500 grand prize. This year’s winner was Siggy Cahatol, artist chef from the Marriott Chicago. The Ice Carving Classic brings together the world’s finest ice carving artists competing head-to-head, saw-to-ice each day of the Show.
The National Restaurant Association’s 2007 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show completed a record-breaking, four-day run at McCormick Place in Chicago. The “sold out” event drew nearly 74,000 attendees from all 50 states and 110 countries looking for products and services from the record breaking 2,142 exhibitors nearly in 609,000 square feet of exhibits. This year’s Show explored the hottest trends and offered restaurateurs numerous ways to meet consumer demand—from food and beverage to eco-friendly equipment and cutting-edge technology—while capitalizing on the best opportunity of the year to network, learn from industry experts and meet celebrity chefs and leading restaurateurs.
For more information on the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and to view photos and highlights, including the celebrity star power and industry innovations, visit: http://www.restaurant.org/show/.
The 2008 NRA Show will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, May 17-20.
