Pomona, CA – Fionna Espana, the morning lead chef at Cal Poly Pomona’s Los Olivos dining hall, has been named 2017 Pastry Chef of the Year presented by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chefs De Cuisine Association of California, Los Angeles chapter.
The competition included chefs with over 30 years of experience in the culinary industry. Criteria for the award includes being a well-rounded chef, from pastry to main courses, and using those skills to benefit the community. Espana’s volunteer work ranges from helping young chefs land jobs in kitchens in her role as student president for ACF California to baking 100 pies on Thanksgiving for community events and volunteering her skills for Veteran’s Day events.
At Cal Poly Pomona, Espana organizes the Los Olivos kitchen as the day begins. She assists chefs with recipes, makes needed specials for events or the vegan station, and works with the sous chef planning menus and creating recipes for special events and seasonal food items from the university’s farm. She is also part of the team working on implementing a culinary certification process, through ACF, which will give Cal Poly Pomona students another option to obtain necessary credentials.
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