Chef Greg Paulson, director of the Culinary Arts program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the American Culinary Federation, during the 42nd annual ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, July 21-25.
The AAC recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to both the culinary profession and the ACF. The academy represents the highest standards of professionalism in the organization, society, and industry, officials said. Its primary mission is to promote the education of all culinarians through mentoring, awarding scholarships, and by providing grants to professional working chefs.
Mr. Paulson, a native of Chicago, was the executive chef at the Coosa Valley Country Club for 10 years before leading the Culinary Arts program at GNTC. Mr. Paulson attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and has worked in restaurants and resorts nationwide including Seattle, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Mr. Paulson had taught some classes at a community college in Honolulu, while working as an executive chef, and was voted chef of the year in Hawaii in 1991 and in 1993.
To become a member of the AAC, chefs must be nominated by two current members and complete the required application process. Some of the standards applicants must pass include: be an ACF-certified chef for no fewer than two years; be in the culinary profession for no less than 15 years, with 10 of the 15 years as an executive chef at a full-service restaurant or at least five years as a culinary educator at an accredited institution; be an ACF member for a minimum of 10 consecutive years; and have attended any combination of four regional conferences and/or national conventions. In addition, applicants must fulfill at least 10 of the 20 elective attainable goals.
The American Culinary Federation is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 200 chapters nationwide, the ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship, and programmatic accreditation.
To learn more about the Culinary Arts program at GNTC, view the program video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQl-PAss_6U