Meet our Judges:
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Lead Judge Paul L. Lee - President American Culinary Federation |
Biography
ACF Monterey Bay Chapter 2003 - present
- 2006 Chef of the Year
- 2005 President’s Award
- President, 2009-present
- Chapter Secretary, 2005-2009
- Elections Committee
- Education Committee Chair
- Certification Committee
Monterey Peninsula College, Chef Instructor
- Hospitality and Food Service Management
- Beverage Service
- ServSafe
- Customer Service
- Culinary Arts
- Cooking demonstrations at Career Fairs at High Schools in Salinas promoting education and careers in culinary arts
Art of Food TV and Lincoln Court Catering
- Local catered events with Wendy Brodie and Bob Bussinger
Local Events, representing the chefs of our ACF Chapter
- Carmel Tomato Fest at Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley
- Community Feeds the Nation benefiting Katrina victims at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Cooking for Solutions, Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Classique d’Elegance at the Inn at Spanish Bay benefiting Meals on Wheels
Les Toques Blanches Monterey Bay
- Vice President
Education Committee Work
- Monterey County Hospitality Association
- Mission Trails ROP Career Technical Education
- Drummond School of Culinary Arts, Rancho Cielo Youth Campus
Education
- ACF Certified Working Chef, 1993; Certified Executive Chef, 1998, 2003, 2008
- ACF Certification Examiner
- NRAEF ServSafe Instructor and Exam Proctor
- AOS Degree with Honors, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, 1981
- Dale Carnegie Leadership School, Highest Achievement Award
- California State Universities - Long Beach and Humboldt
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Steve Salle US Foodservice, Culinary Director |
Biography
Hailing from the SF Bay Area and graduating at the top of his class from the California Culinary Academy(June 1984), Chef Steve Salle has spent the last 20 years perfecting his culinary skills in the Sacramento region. Chef Steve has run the culinary programs of several local golf and country clubs and hotels, delighted diners at weddings and special events at Villa Toscana Winery and successfully owned and operated his own restaurant, The Veranda in Old Sacramento. The last five and a half years as a TM, Center of the Plate Specialist, Brands Manager and currently the Culinary Director, Steve has built strong relationships with Restaurateurs and Chef throughout Northern California.
Steve has built a networking group of division Chef/Brands Managers throughout all of our divisions and works closely as a member of the Corporate Culinary Team. This Coast to Coast networking has allowed Steve to keep his finger on the pulse of national culinary trends and the hottest EB products working there way to the streets!!
Professional specialties. Hotel and Restaurant Management, restaurant concepts and menu analysis /design.
Inventory/theft control, food safety, purchasing controls.
Culinary Specialties: Classic French and Italian cuisine (Artisan style wood-fired pizzas and breads).
Buffet cold preparations (Garde Manger), Butchery, food and wine pairing and ice carvings.
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Mike Hale Food Editor, Monterey County Herald |
Mike Hale is a Salinas native, father of two and features editor at the Monterey County Herald, where he also reviews restaurants and writes about food and wine. He lives with his Table for Two column cohort Melissa Snyder on Spaghetti Hill in Monterey, where they try to grow tomatoes and keep sane with their chubby, orange tabby named Sopa.
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Mark C. Anderson Food Editor, Monterey County Weekly |
Mark C. Anderson is an editor, writer, columnist and blogger at Monterey County Weekly, the region's largest circulating newspaper. His Edible Complex column on the area's noteworthy eats and elixirs appears in each edition of the print version; fresh fare surfaces on his Special Edible blog every weekday at www.montereycountyweekly.com.
 www.laweekly.com |
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Elina Shatkin |
Chef Patrick Farjas “Maitre Cuisinier De France” 1972 in Lyon, France, in a one star restaurant he began his career and became Chef de cuisine and awarded a second Michelin star. Sent by Jean Troisgros, a three star Michelin chef, to work for Chef Roger Verge at "Le Moulin de Mougins" In 1980 VERGE sent him to Palo Alto where he became Executive chef for L’Omelette. From there he worked for 6 years at Basque Cultural Center in S. S.Francisco. From 96 to 2000 Executive Chef at The Plumed Horse in Saratoga, a favorite haunt for executives. For the next 4 years he resided at the famed Olympic Club at Lakeside” and then took over as Chef De Cuisine/Instructor at the California Culinary Academy Cordon Bleu Program. Presently Chef Farjas is Executive Chef at Day Break Gourmet Restaurant & Catering in San Carlos.
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Chef James Kioskiniemi 2010 Chef of the Year San Francisco Chefs Association |
Chuck Hunsaker |
Mark Huber US Foodservice |
Marcus Whisenant Chef Instructor Rancho Cielo |
Robert Powell |