The first ever Pastry Live Weekend was hosted in Atlanta on August 26th through the 28th. Pastry Chefs from all over the world gathered at The Retreat at Perimeter Summit to celebrate the art of pastry sculpture. Top pastry chefs from around the world held seminars to share their expertise and knowledge with attendees. On August 28th some of America's best sugar and chocolate artists competed in The National Showpiece Championship. Several of Atlanta's very own pastry chefs competed and won.

Executive Pastry Chef Heather Hurlbert of Cherokee Town and Country Club and Executive Pastry Chef Natasha Capper of Piedmont Driving Club competed together and won Best Sugar Showpiece. The title of their sugar creation was "The Abyss" and represented an underwater fantasy where jelly fish and anemones play among the bubbles and waves. Chef Capper feels if you want to learn something... teach it or compete in it. "In competing one must intensely focus on the technique and problem solving, which is exciting and energizing and in turn flows into other parts of life."

Also competing from Atlanta was Corporate Pastry Chef Jim Mullaney of Atlanta Foods International. His team mate was Executive Pastry Chef Dave Ramirez of Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando Florida. Team Mullaney/Ramirez received the Audience Choice Award. Their chocolate showpiece titled "Playing in the Fountain" was inspired by a jumping fountain, a spurt of water shot out of the ground, soared through the air and landed in a hole some distance away. The showpiece truly captured the essence of the fountain. Chef Mullaney says competition is not about ego gratification or a pat on the back. It is about learning and growing as a chef.

Congratulations

Kyongran "Alex" Hwang

The ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter is proud of Kyongran "Alex" Hwang of Cherokee Town and Country Club for winning the prestigious title of 2011 ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year.

Hwang was born in Seoul, South Korea. There, she earned certification in baking and pastry from The Baking and Pastry Institute of Korea, Seoul, and an associate degree in traditional cuisine from Seoul Health College, Sungnam, Kyunggi-Do, South Korea. Hwang came to the U.S. in 1999 with the dream of being a great pastry chef. In 2002, she earned an associate degree in baking and pastry arts from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y. In 2002, she joined the staff at Cherokee Town and Country Club. After learning from mentors at the club, including Chris Northmore, CMPC, and Heather Hurlbert, she began competing. She has won numerous awards, including a silver medal in the Novelty Cake Competition at the 2006 ACF Pastry Salon in Savannah, Ga.; first place in the 2007 and 2008 ACF Pastry Salons at the Great American Dessert Expo in Atlanta; and first place in the 2010 ACF and MARS Make-it-Mini Dessert Trio competition in Birmingham, Ala. She is a member of ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc.

Membership would like to share with you a new program recently approved by the ACF Board of Directors. The Deferred Dues Program was developed to assist members in your chapter who have experienced financial hardship due to the economy and are currently unemployed. ACF will provide member with one year of deferred dues, if they meet the criteria and are approved by the Chapter President.

Eligibility

• The deferred membership dues program applies to unemployed ACF members in good standing.
• ACF members who are in good standing after August 31, 2010.
• Available to members who have lost full-time employment and are presently seeking full-time employment.
• Available to professional culinarians.
• ACF will defer membership dues for one year. As a member of this program, you agree to continue to pay your membership dues upon gaining employment.

Approval Process

• Application to be completed by ACF member and submitted to their chapter president for approval. Application available in President’s Portal or can be requested through email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The approved application is to be forwarded to the ACF National Office. Chapter president must indicate whether the chapter will also defer chapter portion of dues. If not approved or left blank, member will become a national member.
• If the ACF member belongs in a chapter without a Chapter President, the application will be forwarded to Regional VP for approval.
• The approved application is to be sent to the ACF National Office.
• If the ACF member is a national member, forward the application to the ACF National Office.
• Approved applications can be mailed, faxed or emailed to the ACF National Office, Attn: Membership Manager.
• Member will receive a member card to reflect new renewal date.

At the December Board of Directors meeting the ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter received a report from Marie Johnson, TOT's Kitchen coordinator. In her report she informed the board of a program that needed to be added to TOT's Kitchen... the Backpack Program. Teachers and faculty at Kipps Academy were noticing that some of their students were arriving at school on Monday mornings hurrying to the breakfast/snack line. When asked why they were in such a hurry, the response was staggering. The children said they had not had much to eat over the weekend and they were hungry. The Backpack Program would give these children identified by the social worker fruits and healthy snacks for them to eat over the weekends. Marie asked for help with 20 students. The board agreed that the program was needed and voted to give funds for one weekend a month. Board members then began to volunteer personally to pick up another weekend each month. Other community organizations picked up the last two weekends to ensure the children would have food for every weekend. The program has truly touched the lives of the students involved.

Below is a recent update from Marie on the Backpack Program:

We are in our third month of the weekend snack program. It is very, very exciting to see the children collect their packs. The reality of the need for the snack packs came home hard when I had car troubles and could not deliver. The children and parents called and met me at the train station. Wow... but they got their snacks. Thank you so much for helping to provide snacks for all our children in the program. We currently feed 34 and have 29 on the waiting list. Here is a list of what this week's pack looks like, as students will be on spring break. This would cover 2 weekends.

3 Fruit juices
2 breakfast cereal bars
2 small pks.cereals
3 pudding cups
2 pks peanut/dried cranberry
2 pks whole wheat cheese crackers
2 pks pretzels with peanut butter
2 apples
2 oranges
2 bananas
2 small mac& cheese cup

Total weight ....8 1/2 lbs

Our classes continue with the tots at the daycare and the middle schoolers at Kipp. This terms topic is... No cooked foods and wholesome nutritious snacks using fresh fruits and vegetables.

"Each day we do a golden deed by helping those who are in need,
our life on earth is but a span, so do the best you can".

THANK YOU ACF ATLANTA for making more CHILDREN HUNGER FREE.

Yours truly,
Marie Johnson
TOT's Kitchen Coordinator

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404-245-3893

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