KRAFT FOODSERVICE REACHES OUT TO CULINARY STUDENTS AND CHEFS AT ANNUAL ACF CONVENTION

GLENVIEW, IL (August, 2005)

Kraft Foodservice played a prominent role in the 2005 American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Convention held in San Antonio, Texas July 29 – August 2, 2005. More than 1,600 attendees from culinary students to master chefs attended the event to learn about emerging menu trends and take advantage of professional development opportunities, hone technical skills and compete in popular cook-off competitions. During the five-day ACF Convention, Kraft Foodservice presented the Smart Menu Makeovers workshop, sponsored the Nutritional Hot-Food Challenge cooking contest, and received the coveted ACF Seal of Approval for the company’s GEVALIA Coffee.

Kraft Foodservice Corporate Chef Mike Chapter and Lisa Brandt-Whittington, MS, RD, Registered Dietitian for Kraft Culinary Centre presented the Smart Menu Makeovers workshop on ingredient substitution and changes in cooking method & technique to allow for more healthful recipes. The pre-taped cooking demonstrations, which featured bread pudding and flatbread pizza dishes, attracted an audience of 125 students and chefs at the ACF Convention.

“Kraft advocates choice for consumers and our Smart Menu Makeovers presentation served to highlight effective ways of taking higher fat recipes and making them into more healthful dishes,” comments Mike Chapter, Corporate Chef, Kraft Foodservice.

In addition to the Smart Menu Makeovers workshop, Kraft Foodservice teamed up with Custom Culinary Inc. and the National Pork Board to sponsor the Nutritional Hot-Food Challenge. After four finalists competed in a two-hour cooking marathon on the Convention floor, Kraft Foodservice Executive Chef and Culinary Centre Manager Harry Crane presented the Nutritional Hot-Food Challenge first place award to Scott Smith, CEC, CCE. Smith, who is assistant professor at The Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University (Denver) and owner of SR Solutions, LLC, won with his menu featuring Mexican Vegetable Soup, Pork Tenderloin with Onion Relish, Seasoned Green Beans, Citrus-Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Roasted Peach No-Bake Cheesecake.

As part of the ACF National Convention, Kraft Foods also received the ACF Seal of Approval for GEVALIA Coffee. A panel of culinary experts which includes Certified Master Chefs and other industry professionals, scrupulously tests the products before issuing the ACF Seal of Approval.

Kraft Foodservice also shared the spotlight at the ACF Convention with the unveiling of the “Cooking with American’s Championship Team” cookbook featuring more than 100 recipes from the chefs of the ACF Culinary Team USA 2004. The quadrennial international cooking competition is the most prestigious culinary event in the world and Kraft Foodservice co-sponsored the United States team which won the gold medal in restaurant-style cooking over 32 nations. For more information on the cookbook, please call (800) 624-9458 or visit www.acfchefs.org