St. Augustine, Fla. — Susan Notter, CEPC®, pastry arts program director at The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts, Lancaster, Pa., was recently named 2014 American Culinary Federation (ACF) Northeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year. Notter received the award after winning a competition at the 2014 ACF Northeast Regional Conference held in Warwick, R.I., April 11–14.
The ACF Pastry Chef of the Year award, established in 2004 and sponsored by Plugrá® European-Style Butter, 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. As this year’s regional winner, Notter will compete for the national title and $5,000 against her regional counterparts at the 2014 ACF National Convention in Kansas City, Mo., July 25–29.
“I am very proud to represent ACF Northeast Region at the 2014 ACF National Convention in July,” said Notter. “I am constantly looking for ways to challenge myself and improve my skills. Preparation for the regional competition gave me the opportunity to work under pressure, and develop various dessert flavors and techniques. I am looking forward to practicing over the next couple of months to ensure I am ready for the competition in July. I am honored to be part of American Culinary Federation and to represent pastry chefs in the United States.”
Notter has more than 30 years of experience as a pastry chef. Her titles have ranged from pastry cook, Konditorei Heinemann, Monchengladbach, Germany, to joint business owner and instructor, International School of Confectionery Arts, Zurich, and Gaithersburg, Md., to head of baking and pastry department, Baltimore International College, Baltimore. Notter was named as one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States by Pastry Art & Design in 2009 and 2010. She was a member of ACF Culinary Team USA that received a gold medal at the 2000 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics,” in Erfurt, Germany. She has received numerous awards in ACF-sanctioned competitions as well as third place in the 2012 Ladies’ World Pastry Championship, Rimini, Italy. Most recently, Notter competed as part of the ACF culinary team that placed second and received a gold medal at the 2013 Dubai World Hospitality Championship. As a recognized pastry chef and instructor, Notter is frequently a guest chef at other culinary schools and has competed on several Food Network shows. Notter is a member of ACF Harrisburg Chapter.
Approximately 500 chefs, students and foodservice professionals attended ACF’s Northeast Regional Conference, hosted by ACF Rhode Island Chapter. During the conference, attendees were able to advance their professional development through business seminars, cooking demonstrations focused on how to incorporate green and sustainable cooking concepts into restaurant kitchens, culinary competitions and awards. Learn more about the conference at www.acfchefs.org/Northeast, or at Facebook.com/ACFChefs or on Twitter @ACFChefs.
Regional and national sponsors of the 2014 ACF event series are: Alabama Gulf Seafood; Allen Brothers; American Technical Publishers; Barilla Foodservice; Barry Callebaut; BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.; California Avocado Commission; Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute; Central Region State Beef Councils; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Ecolab®; Evo, Inc.; Fabbri USA 1905, LLC; Fortune Fish Company; Ghirardelli Chocolate Company; Gordon Food Service®; Idaho® Potato Commission; J.R. Simplot Company; JTM Food Group; Johnson & Wales University; Jones Dairy Farm; Kern Meat Co., Inc.; Lactalis Foodservice; Lang Manufacturing Company; Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc.; Mercer Cutlery; MINOR’S®; Monini North America, Inc.; Mooney Farms; Moore Food Distribution; National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative; Ole Tyme Produce Inc.; Par-Way Tryson, makers of Vegalene; Performance Foodservice; Plugrá® European-Style Butter; Publix Super Markets; RC Fine Foods; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rosenthal Sambonet USA Ltd; S&D Coffee; Saint Louis Chefs de Cuisine Education Foundation; Sartori Company; Sysco®; The Beef Checkoff; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Food Solutions; US Foods; Valrhona; Villeroy & Boch; Vitamix® Corporation; Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
About the American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the standard of excellence for chefs in North America. With nearly 20,000 members spanning 200 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States, with the Certified Executive Chef®, Certified Sous Chef® and Certified Executive Pastry Chef® designations the only culinary credentials accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. 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. Find ACF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACFChefs and on Twitter @ACFChefs.
Source: American Culinary Federation