Award Description:

The ACF Student Chef of the Year award recognizes an up-and-coming student who possesses a high degree of professionalism, culinary skill and passion for the culinary arts.
Application Information & Guidelines

Application Fee:
$150 for ACF Members
$400 Non-Members 
   (which includes 1 year of ACF National Membership)

Please be prepared to submit all required materials listed below:
• A completed application 
• A professional resume and biography of the candidate.
• A two-page essay that includes why the student chose the
  culinary profession, why he or she accepted the nomination,
  the student's philosophy on food and his or her three-year plan.
• A letter of recommendation from and ACF chapter in good
  standing or faculty member from a degree-granting culinary
  program.
• Recipe with photos of a Category SK protein or SP dessert.
• A high resolution, digital, color photograph of candidate in a white chef coat 
                  · (minimum 300 dpi, .tif or .jpeg format, minimum
                     1200x1600 pixels)

· All required materials must be submitted before deadline - midnight on January 1, 2021
Candidate Eligibility:
Candidate should be a student who is a capable cook with a good skill level and focus on solid cooking fundamentals based on a classical foundation.
• Be an ACF Student Culinarian member in good standing for at
   least one week prior to the application deadline.
   *If non-member, you must supply a letter of recommendation
    from a ACF member in good standing to include with the
    chapter/culinary program letter.
• Not have competed in any professional competition, or have
  previously won a professional medal in any capacity. This is an
  automatic disqualification.
• Not have applied for any other regional or national award from ACF.

NOTE: Past regional winners may reapply after five years. Past national winners cannot reapply. 

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* 1. Candidate Eligibility Requirements listed above match the corresponding application submitted

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* 2. First Name

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* 3. Last Name

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* 4. ACF Certifications

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* 5. ACF Member Number

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* 6. ACF Chapter Name & ID

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* 7. Region

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* 8. Email Address

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* 9. Cell Phone 

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* 10. Company

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* 11. Title

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* 12. Chef Jacket Size  (please provide specifics if a specific cut is needed)

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* 13. Competition Category

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* 14. Professional Resume

PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 15. Candidate Biography

PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 16. A two-page essay that includes why the student chose the culinary profession, why he or she accepted the nomination, the student's philosophy on food and his or her three-year plan.

PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 17. A letter of recommendation from and ACF chapter in good standing or faculty member from a degree-granting culinary program.

PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 18. Recipe with photos of a Category SK protein or SP dessert.

PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 19. Candidate's high resolution, digital, color photograph of candidate in a white chef coat

(minimum 300 dpi, .tif or .jpeg format, minimum 1200x1600 pixels)

PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
Choose File

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* 20. Application Fee
$150 - ACF Members
$400 - Non Members

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* 21. Terms & Conditions to Apply for ACF Awards:

I hereby certify that the information I have submitted is correct. Furthermore, I grant permission to the American Culinary Federation and its subsidiaries to use the information included in my application in print and electronically for promotional purposes, which may include video and/or photography. I understand that I will not be compensated and that I may not be notified of each use. I understand my presence is required in order to accept the award, or I void the agreement stated in the application guidelines and the next competitor that is present will receive the award. Also, I agree that all decisions made by the awards task force are final and not subject to appeal and know that the application fee is not refundable.
If you have been named the National SCOY winner and you may have the opportunity to advance to the Hans Bueschkens World Junior Chefs Challenge competition, all training will be defined by the ACF Culinary Competition Committee and you must comply with ACF policies and procedures that are set forth. As the National winner you must serve as an ACF Ambassador and this may include attending local and national events and representing the American Culinary Federation.

Selection Process:
All applications will be reviewed by an awards task force then a limited number of candidates will be chosen to compete for their region on designated regional days during the ACF National Convention. Task force decisions are final per terms and conditions.

Notification of advancement: January 2021

Each semifinalist will participate in the brand new competition structure in 2021. The ACF National Competitions will take place in Orlando, FL from July 15-19, 2021. National competition requirements will be released in May 2021.

Each region will have one full day to compete. At the end of the day, the highest-scoring competitors from each region will be announced as regional winners. After all four regions have competed, point totals will be tallied and the competitors and teams with the highest overall score will be our national winners, announced at the President’s Gala on Thursday night.

NOTE: Schedule conflicts will not be accommodated and incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

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