The American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Michigan Chefs De Cuisine Association (MCCA) is pleased to announce its President, Brian Beland, CMC®, and executive chef/director of food and beverage at the Country Club of Detroit was part of the ACF Team U.S.A. that was awarded a gold medal and came in second place at the inaugural Dubai World Hospitality Championship, Nov. 16–18, 2013 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Beland was one of seven chefs selected to be part of the ACF team in this prestigious competition that featured culinary masters from around the world who are well recognized on the international circuit and regularly compete in some of the world’s best known culinary competitions. The ACF team, representing the United States, competed against 11 other countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Wales. Singapore placed first, the United States came in second and Australia placed third.
The ACF team spent the last two months planning and preparing for this competition. Each team was required to present a cold food buffet including six tapas items, three plated appetizers, four salads, four protein platters, four centerpieces a hot-main course and a dessert buffet in six hours for 50 people and four judges. Teams were judged on mise en place, workstation and uniform cleanliness, culinary techniques, food safety, presentation of dishes, taste and food texture.
“This was such an incredible experience representing the United States and the flavors of American cuisine on a international stage,” said Brian Beland, CMC®, executive chef/director of food & beverage, Country Club of Detroit, Gross Pointe Farms, Mich.; President, ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine. “It’s truly an honor to be part of the ACF team and I’m so proud of our tremendous accomplishment of placing among the top three teams in this world-renowned competition.”
The Dubai World Hospitality Championship, under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, was organized by Zabeel Palace Hospitality in cooperation with World Association of Chefs Societies and The Emirates Culinary Guild. To learn more about the Dubai Hospitality Championship, visit www.dwhc.ae.
About The Michigan Chefs de Cuisine:
The Michigan Chefs de Cuisine (MCCA) is the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. It was founded in 1970 by Certified Master Chef Milos Cihelka, whose vision it was to create one of the most prestigious chef’s associations in the nation. Today, the Chapter consists of over 480 members. Chef Milos, now semi-retired but still teaching, was the chef/co-owner and proprietor of the renowned Golden Mushroom Restaurant in Southfield, Michigan. MCCA helps to provide opportunities for culinary education, professional growth, certification, competition and networking while supporting charitable organizations in the community. For more information, or to become a member, please visit www.mccachef.org or call Executive Director, Brian Lorge at 734.320.8738 or bflorge@comcast.net.
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 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.
