Associations / Groups

[dpm75]

Now that I am working and going to school I am more than ever in the mood to contniue to learn. I was wondering what any of you could tell me about any groups that are out there for professional cooks/students/foodies that might help me grow as all of the above. I have heard of groups such as the ACF, Les Amis d'Escoffier and others.

What do you think of any of these groups to which you have belonged to? What do you know/have you heard about them? What are the pros and cons of these groups? Are there fees and/or other requirements for membership?

All I ask is that you please include any information pertaining to your involvement, such as "I saw during my membership" or "this group is a bunch of egotistical ... but I was never a member."

Being that I am a line cook, I would prefer to stick to groups that would apply to me in my realm (as opposed to caterer groups for example). But again, I would also like to hear about groups that appreciate food as well, not just cooking it! Thanks a million guys, I always appreciate all you have to offer. Hopefully sometime today I hope to update my story for any of you interested in what I have been up to for the past couple months.

Merci d'avance!

Darrin

[dpm75]

anyone?

[Derek Cooks]

Find your local ACF group, join and participate. In my humble opinion, you won't regret it...

[dpm75]

are there any members or former members of the CF, or any other groups out there that might want to tell me more about their thoughts and/or experiences with the groups. like i asked before, pros, cons etc that could help me learn more about the different groups/associations out there?

Darrin

[Derek Cooks]

Darrin, did you check out the ACF Web Page ?

Their focus is education and certifications. The meetings we have here in the St. Louis area have been pretty good - fish "school", a bourbon tasting/pairing, etc. The biggest, bestest thing about it is the networking you can do. Here, it's a virtual who's-who in cooking for this area. It's directly how I got my job.

On the down side, here, membership is highly dominated by country clubs and hotels. We are taking steps to include more independent restaurants, but it's not there yet.

But there are tons of opporutnities to volunteer - we do fundraising for scholarships, for example - and you get to work with some pretty phenomenal foods and chefs.

When you go to the web site, look up the chapter(s) for Chicago, and go to a meeting or two. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[dpm75]

thanks derek, that is exactly the kind of feedback i am looking for. anyone else on the ACF or any other groups? thanks again.

[Zanduar]

I belong to the ACF, I've met people who don't agree with the organization and I've never met anyone who loved it.

But don't take me wrong, you don't have to love it to be a member. I don't hate it and neither does anyone in my Penn-Jersey chapter.

Its mostly about networking, sharing and running local events.

Its not a bad thing to belong to and I'd rather be in it then be out but I haven't seen any club be life changing.

[Chefpolcyn]

I definately enjoy the ACF chapter in the St.Louis area. A great network, consistant continuing ed seminars( 6 to 7 a year) plenty of activites for having fun, working with your peers. Professional recognition, training, and what else do you do with your free time?