CHICAGO, April 22, 2010 – A team of five students enrolled in the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, Chicago, beat 11 other teams to win the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl and earn gold medals at the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) 2010 Central Regional Conference in Indianapolis, March 26.
The Kendall College team, consisting of Allison Chikos, Erika Giffin, Sarah Roberts, Jacquie Wallner and Edward Whitney, competed against teams from foodservice-training programs at schools throughout ACF’s Central Region stretching from Minnesota to Louisiana. As Central Regional champion, Kendall’s team—representing The School of Culinary Arts’ certificate, associate and baccalaureate programs in culinary arts and the certificate and associate programs in baking and pastry—will compete for the national title against three other winning regional teams at the ACF’s national convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2-5. The highest scorer will be named the national ACF Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl winner for 2010.
“This is a win for everyone at Kendall,” says Roberts, a Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree student who captained the Kendall team in Indianapolis. “We worked hard to get here, and we had a blast. I’m very proud of our team, and thankful to everyone at Kendall College who supported us.” Praising in particular chef-instructor and team coach Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE, Roberts says she and her teammates will study and practice diligently for the national competition this summer.
The Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl tests the acumen of culinary-arts students via a “Jeopardy”-style subjects grid that includes challenging culinary, baking, nutrition, sanitation and math questions as well as sensory perception. The competition is named after the late Chef Baron H. Galand, CEC, who served as national president of ACF from 1983 to 1987. First held at the ACF’s 1992 National Convention in Washington, D.C., today the four geographic regions of ACF hold the competition at their respective conferences in winter and spring to qualify teams to compete for the national title at the ACF’s convention in summer.
“Given that none of our students had ever competed in a Knowledge Bowl competition before, this was a tremendous achievement for them—and for Kendall College,” says Christopher Koetke, MBA, CEC, CCE, vice president of culinary-arts programs for Laureate International Universities and dean of Kendall’s School of Culinary Arts. “Our team not only won, but literally was unstoppable. And they were unbelievably fun to watch! Competing for the national Knowledge Bowl title in August against other top regional teams will be an exciting and enriching educational experience for all.”
About the American Culinary Federation, Inc.
The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. 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.
About Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts
Founded in 1985, the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College is among the premier culinary-training programs in the United States, offering associate and bachelor’s degrees and certificates in culinary arts as well as associate degrees and certificates in baking and pastry. The school occupies a stunning “Riverworks” campus near downtown Chicago. The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission has accredited the Culinary Arts Associate and Baking & Pastry Associate programs since 1988. Kendall, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2009, also operates Schools of Hospitality Management, Business and Education. Kendall College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org, 1-312-263-0456. Kendall College is a member of the Laureate International Universities network. For more information, visit www.kendall.edu.
