A Legacy of Professionalism
Since the Roaring Twenties...
The American Culinary Federation, Inc., a professional, not-for-profit
organization for chefs, was founded in 1929 in New York City
by three chefs' organizations: the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique,
The Vatel Club and The Chefs Association of America. The principal
goal of the founding chefs remains true to the ACF today - to
promote a professional image of the American chef worldwide through
education among culinarians at all levels, from apprentices to
the most accomplished certified master chefs of the culinary
arts.
The Largest and the Oldest Professional Organization of Chefs
in the USA...
Comprised of more than 25,000 members with over 300 individual
ACF chapters throughout the United States and Caribbean, in addition
to an ACF Army chapter in Frankfurt, Germany, the ACF is the
largest and oldest organization dedicated to professional chefs
in the USA today. The ACF was the pioneer responsible for elevating
the status of executive chef from service status to the professional
category in the U.S. Department of Labor's Dictionary of Official
Titles, in 1976. Author of 600-page, Industry "Bible,"
The Art and Science of Culinary Preparation...
The ACF sanctions domestic culinary competitions and oversees
any international competitions that take place in the USA. ACF
culinary competitions were founded on the principle of education
and the sharing of culinary techniques and developments. The
ACF leads the world in sharing these ideas through videos, cookbooks
and techniques manuals such as the ACF's, The Art and Science
of Culinary Preparation, the 600-page standard "Bible"
of the culinary industry.
An ACF Exclusive - The Quintessential Title of Certified Master
Chef... 
Registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the ACF runs the
only comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United
States. The ACF National Certification Program for Chefs and
Cooks throughout America and the Caribbean is a valuable certificate
bestowed on cooks and chefs after a rigorous evaluation of industry
experience, professional education, thorough testing and ACF
activity. More than 10,000 certifications have been awarded by
the ACF over the years at 10 different levels ranging from Certified
Culinarian to the prestigious Certified Master Chef, an honor
exclusively attainable through the ACF. The distinction of Master
Chef has garnered the respect of Europeans for centuries. Now,
due to the success of the ACF's Master Chef testing process administered
at the Culinary Institute of America, Europeans are interested
in revising their program to include standards for testing developed
by the ACF.
North, South, East, West, ACF apprentices span the USA...
The ACF offers 85 culinary and pastry apprenticeship programs
around the country. More than 17,000 apprentices have been enrolled
in the last two decades at such renowned "apprentice houses"
as the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta, The Balsams in New Hampshire
and The Cloister on Sea Island. Upon completion of the three-year,
apprenticeship program, recognized by the U.S. Department of
Labor, apprenticeship program graduates become ACF Certified
Culinarians.
One hundred and one ACF Accredited, Post-Secondary Culinary Programs...
The ACF Accrediting Commission is the national accrediting commission
for the culinary, baking and pastry educational programs at post-secondary
institutions. Over one hundred programs are currently accredited
at 93 schools nationwide. This process ensures that industry
standards are met within the educational environment.
Keeping Chefs Abreast of Industry Trends in Cuisine Through ACF
Publications...
Through seminars and workshops at national conventions and regional
conferences, as well as ongoing programs provided by ACF chapters
and other groups throughout the USA, the ACF strives to upgrade
the skills and knowledge of its members. Presentations range
from programs on specific cuisines to food labeling, nutrition,
sanitation and management. Programs such as the "Cooking
of the Americas" series, broadcast via satellite are funded
in part by ACF's Horizons 2000, a $3.5 million educational outreach
campaign founded in 1990. Members are entitled to receive the
association's official monthly journals, The National Culinary
Review and the Center of the Plate to keep chefs abreast of the
ever-changing industry of the fine art of cooking.
The American Academy of Chefs, the Honor Society of Chefs in
America...
The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the national honor society
of chefs in America, was organized in 1955 with the purpose of
recognizing culinary professionals whose contributions have positively
effected the culinary industry. The AAC established the Chef's
Hall of Fame in 1988, to honor the ACF's most elite group of
culinarians in the United States.
Fighting Childhood Hunger in America - The American Culinary
Federation Chef & Child Foundation, Inc....
The American Culinary Federation Chef & Child Foundation,
Inc. (CCF) is the "voice and the army of the ACF in its
fight against childhood hunger in America." ACF chapters
across the country work in their communities to provide education
to non-profit programs that feed the needy, provide nutrition
education programs for children through ACF chefs and facilitate
disaster relief and training. The CCF is a nonprofit charity
that was instrumental this year in providing relief during the
Oklahoma City disaster and the Westhampton fires on Long Island.
North American Representative for 1.5 Million-Member Intercontinental
Society...
Every member of the ACF is simultaneously enrolled into the World
Association of Cooks Societies (WACS), a worldwide association
of over 1.5 million cooks and chefs representing 54 nations across
5 continents. The ACF is the representative organization for
the United States. In October of 1992, the ACF was selected to
hold the WACS presidium for the next four years, establishing
former ACF National President, Keith Keogh, CEC, as the world
president of the intercontinental society until 1996.
Team Sponsor-Manager for the Internationale Kochkunst Austellung...
Other spheres of influence within the ACF include the management
of the official team of chefs who represent the United States
in international culinary competitions, including the prestigious
Internationale Kochkunst Austellung held quadrennially in Berlin,
Germany. The 1992 Culinary Team USA won world championship status
in five of six competitions over the last three years, proving
the caliber of chefs in the USA is world class.
