ACF Monterey Bay Chefs in the community

The ACF Monterey Bay Chapter proudly hosted a Chef & Child event at the Seaside location of the Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County! It was a fun-filled event featuring interactive demo stations, food sampling, and a build-your-own cupcake bar. A special thank you to Taylor Farms, Earthbound Farm, MEarth, El Camino Hospital, and […]

Our ACF Chef members at UC Merced were proud to support this powerful Food for Thought Speaker Series event featuring two-time James Beard Award winner, Julia Child Award recipient, and Time Magazine Top 100 honoree, Chef Sean Sherman.  To learn more about Chef Sean Sherman-Check out his website: Chef Sean Sherman | Indigenous food systems | foodways […]

Congratulations to Chef Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, who is one of first recipients of the inaugural AAC Legacy Award Established in 2025, the AAC Legend Award recognizes exceptional individuals whose lifelong contributions have profoundly shaped the culinary profession. These individuals are considered legends for their vision, leadership, and service, making significant and […]

Big congratulations to UC Merced Dining for bringing home three national awards from NACUFS! Gold – Outreach & Education for the Food for Thought speaker series Silver – Catering Special Event of the Year for Dinner and a Movie with Chef Ed Porter Honorable Mention – Employee Development for a Culinary Workshop with the Alice […]

We are excited to share that UC Merced has received the Silver Award for Catering Special Event of the Year from NACUFS for our Chancellor’s Associates dinner featuring Chef Ed Porter and his film The Food That Fuels. This event was a powerful collaboration that highlighted Central Valley farmers, sustainable sourcing, and the culinary excellence […]

The ACF Monterey Bay celebrates the incredible work of Chef Siska Silitonga (@chilicali), who brought bold Indonesian flavors to UC Merced for a special Women’s History Month event featuring Shannon Lee (@therealshannonlee) of the Bruce Lee Foundation. Chef Siska’s dishes highlighted the vibrant culinary traditions of Indonesia, perfectly complementing an evening dedicated to legacy, resilience, […]

We had an incredible event at UC Merced celebrating Latin Heritage Month, KUDOS to UC Merced Dining Executive Sous Chef and Monterey Bay ACF member, Jonathan Gutierrez Santiago for organizing  and hosting the event.   Dr. Claudia Serrato, a renowned Indigenous culinary anthropologist and chef, was our guspeaker. Dr. Serrato’s work focuses on the preservation […]

We are thrilled to announce that Chef EJ and Chef Jonathan, both esteemed members of the Monterey Bay American Culinary Federation, have been recognized at this week’s IFPA Conference with the Produce in Excellence Foodservice awards. Their dedication to culinary excellence and commitment to using fresh, local produce has set a shining example in the […]

We are proud to share that members of the Monterey Bay ACF Chapter played a crucial role in UC Merced Dining winning a Silver Award in Outreach and Education at this year’s NACUFS (National Association of College & University Food Services) conference! The award will be presented at the NACUFS Conference on July 17th in Louisville, […]