About the ACFGC     About the American Culinary Federation Established in 1929, the American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the largest professional chefs' organization in North America... ACF, which was the progeny of the combined visions of three chefs' associations in New York, is comprised of more than 18,000 members in 240 chapters across the United States, and is known as the authority on cooking in America. Its mission is to make a positive difference for culinarians through education, apprenticeship and certification, while creating a fraternal bond of respect and integrity among culinarians everywhere. One of ACF's defining historical moments remains the ACF-led initiative that resulted in the upgrade of the definition of chef from domestic to professional in 1976. ACF offers educational programs and opportunities for both the culinary student and professional culinarian... ACF operates the only comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States, awarding 14 different levels of certification. ACF is the only organization to offer master chef and master pastry chef certification, a program that launched in 1981. ACF also has a globally lauded apprenticeship-training program for cooks and pastry cooks, which began in 1976. Apprenticeship programs are usually for two or three years; however, ACF introduced a six-month training program in 2003 to provide greater training to current employees to enhance their skills and value to the operation. In addition to certification and apprenticeship, ACF provides accreditation to secondary and postsecondary culinary schools. ACF holds numerous events that offer professional development opportunities to ACF members of all levels.... ACF annually hosts four regional conferences, Central, Northeastern, Southeastern and Western, which are held in various locations throughout the United States in an effort to reach chefs nationwide. The programs apply to all culinarians, from students to retiring chefs. ACF also holds a national convention to foster continued education and communication among culinarians at all levels. Its annual convention, first held in 1950 at the Lexington Hotel in New York, is the largest gathering of professional culinarians in the nation. ACF also works in tandem with two 501(c)(3) organizations, the American Culinary Federation Foundation (ACFF) and The Chef & Child Foundation (ACFCCF)...  Two important groups under the ACFF include ACF Culinary Team USA, the culinary team that is the official representative of the United States in national and international competitions, and the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the ACF. ACF Culinary Team USA first competed in the world's premier international competition, the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA), or "culinary olympics," in Germany in 1956, and most recently, was world champion in hot-food cooking at the 2004 IKA, and came in second in cold-food in the Salon Culinaire Mondial competition in Basel, Switzerland in 2005.  The team has established a reputation as the experts on American cooking worldwide. The American Academy of Chefs, established in 1955, consists of nearly 800 accomplished chefs from ACF and around the globe whose mission is the education of future culinarians. To that end, AAC administers numerous scholarships through the American Culinary Federation Foundation to culinary students, as well as professional chefs for continuing education purposes. The AAC also has a Hall of Fame, established in 1988, which recognizes those chefs and AAC members who have excelled in the culinary profession and have dedicated a lifetime of service to the ACF and AAC. Founded in 1989, The Chef & Child Foundation addresses the nutritional and dietary needs of children. Its mission is to educate and assist the family in understanding proper nutrition and to be the voice of the American Culinary Federation in its fight against childhood hunger. ACFCCF programs include Cooking is for Kids, which teaches children about cooking, nutrition and the foods of many cultures, as well as National Childhood Hunger Day national-awareness campaigns. ACF's publishing outreach includes both print and electronic ... ACF published its first official magazine, now known as The National Culinary Review (NCR), in 1932. A monthly publication,NCR provides information on the latest food, menu, plating and back-of-house management trends, as well as other issues of importance to chefs. ACF's official monthly newsletter, Center of the Plate, was launched in 1996, and highlights federation programs and accolades of ACF chapters and members. An additional print publication, Sizzle: The American Culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of Cooking, was first published in 2004 and is the only magazine distributed nationally to 39,000 culinary and baking/pastry students. ACF's electronic newsletter, ACF Today, features the latest news and items of interest to ACF members, and is distributed to approximately 10,000 members bi-weekly. ACF is the presidium of the eight-million-strong World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) through 2007... WACS is a global network of currently 72 chefs associations from around the world. Its mission is to maintain and improve the culinary standards of global cuisines through education, training and professional development of its international membership. WACS is led by a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary general and ambassador honorary president, as well as a board of continental directors. WACS current president and vice president are ACF members, as well as past ACF presidents.