Pastry Chef of the Year Heather Hurlbert

ACF National Pastry Chef Of The Year

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Atlanta’s Heather Hurlbert Named National Pastry Chef of the Year at 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla.

St. Augustine, Fla., July 16, 2009—Heather Hurlbert, of Atlanta, received the American Culinary Federation, Inc., (ACF) 2009 National Pastry Chef of the Year Award at the 2009 ACF National Convention held at the Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, Fla., July 11–14.

“I didn’t even prepare a speech, we were joking about that at the table,” Hurlbert said as she took the stage at the President’s Grand Ball, July 14, as the new national Pastry Chef of the Year. Hurlbert, overcome with emotion and joy, said she was truly honored to receive the national award and thanked her mentors, fellow chefs and husband.

Sponsored by Splenda®, the 2009 ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year Award recognizes a pastry chef who has displayed a passion for the craft, has an accomplished reputation in the pastry field and has given back through the education of others by sharing his or her skills and knowledge. Chefs were first nominated by colleagues for their creativity, talent and passion. Then, chefs in each of the four ACF regions competed and won at the regional level. At the national competition, four finalists competed during the annual trade show, July 12. Hurlbert prepared one decorated torte/cake, one contemporary dessert and one hot restaurant-style dessert for a panel of distinguished judges. Hurlbert was announced as the national winner at the President’s Grand Ball, Tuesday, July 14.

Hurlbert has worked as executive pastry chef at Cherokee Town & Country Club in Atlanta since 2005. She worked as assistant pastry chef and baker at the club from 1999 to 2003 under certified master pastry chef Chris Northmore, and was executive pastry chef at The Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh during her two-year hiatus from the club. An accomplished pastry chef, Hurlbert has worked in restaurants, resorts, hotels and country clubs across the United States. As executive pastry chef, she oversees a staff of six, and is responsible for scheduling, training, handling food cost, inventory and menus.

Hurlbert earned an associate degree in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1993, and has continued her studies at The French Pastry School, Chicago; the National Baking Center, Minneapolis; l’Ecole Lenôtre, Paris; and the Notter School of Pastry Arts, Orlando, Fla. She has competed in many national and international culinary competitions. In 2004, she was a member of ACF Culinary Regional Team USA, which won a gold medal and placed third overall in the world. She has competed on three Culinary Super Challenge Teams, winning first, second and fifth place, and placed fifth in the 2001 U.S. Pastry Competition. Hurlbert’s goal is to become a certified master pastry chef, of which there are only 14 currently in the U.S. She is a member of ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter, Inc.

Orlando was the location of the 2009 ACF National Convention, bringing hundreds of chefs, cooks, students and foodservice professionals to the Sunshine State. The national convention provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through informative workshops and seminars, cutting-edge demonstrations, a trade show featuring more than 100 exhibitors, national competitions and ACF’s annual national awards.

Sponsors of the 2009 ACF National Convention are: Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC; American Lamb Board; Barber Foods; Barry Callebaut; Beef Products, Inc.; BelGioioso Cheese Inc.; Berkshire Pork Products, LLC; Bon Chef, Inc.; Bunge Oils; Butterball Farms, Inc.; Canada Cutlery Inc.; Casa DiLisio Products, Inc.; Chartwells; The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Inc.; Chicago School of Chocolate Molding; CleanFish; Cleveland Range, LLC; Contessa Premium Foods; The Culinary Institute of America; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Demeyere; Diamond Crystal; Dole Packaged Foods, LLC; Dow AgroSciences; Ecolab; Eggland’s Best; GFF, Inc./Girard’s Dressings; Gordon Food Service; Guittard Chocolate Co.; Hass Avocado Board; Hormel; i-COOK Professional; Indian Harvest; The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes; The Investing Chef; J.R. Simplot Company; Johnson & Wales University; Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; La Brea Bakery; Lavazza Italy’s Favourite Coffee; Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Nestlé Professional; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats; Pasta CHEF®; Pearson Education; Plugra; RC Fine Foods; Riviana Foods Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; S & D Coffee; San Jamar; Saputo Cheese; Schwan’s Food Service; Splenda®; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; Victorinox Commercial Cutlery; Vita-Mix Corp.; The Vollrath Company, LLC; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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Atlanta’s Heather Hurlbert Named National Pastry Chef of the Year at 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla.