Cooking Up Culinary Connections in California
The week of August 6, I participated in the American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Convention in Anaheim. I was a VIP guest of ACF President Chef Michael Ty who has attended the SkillsUSA NLSC for the past two years. He is very interested in engaging with SkillsUSA as a part of ACF’s youth initiatives.
The ACF Convention offered an excellent networking opportunity. I spent time with several SkillsUSA culinary instructors who are also professional members of ACF. I met several ACF partnering companies that could be SkillsUSA supporters and spent quality time with international culinary representatives from Canada, Iceland and Germany, and I had an excellent exchange with the leader of the World Association of Chefs.
A highlight was the time I spent with Dr. Janey Thornton, deputy under secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services discussing USDA’s interest in our culinary programs and a national campaign on childhood nutrition. At the President’s Ball on Thursday night, I also met with ACF’s executive director to compare notes on nonprofit association management. We will be working together and sharing best practices. Finally, as a bonus, Greg Rintala, YDF Chair and board member from Snap-on, Inc. took me to lunch on Thursday, and we had a good conversation about our partnership and the upcoming board and YDF meetings.
Tags: Government Relations
