Western Regional Conference Town Hall Meeting

Western Regional Conference in Scottsdale, AZ – 2011

Town Hall Questions and Answers Provided by David Ivey-Soto

There were many who attended the Town Hall Meeting, several people were in the room more than five minutes before the questions were asked. Below are my responses.

Please feel free to let me know if you want clarification on any of my answers here. I will post my answer to any question I am asked to answer.

What have you done during your term? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

I have worked hard to fulfill my vision for the American Culinary Federation to move forward and become more business-like and have a more corporate structure. We have begun the reform process. We have developed a strategic plan. We have established a vision. I have worked hard – with a great deal of resistance at times – to maintain the strategic process within the Board of Directors and move the tactical issues to the committees and a the National Office staff.

We have a great deal of transition to continue to work on. We need to implement the strategic plan.

How are we going to continue to support the apprenticeship program after the federal grant is done? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

I have been making the argument that we need to seek outside funding for our organization. When we struggled with the issue of ACF Culinary Team USA, I stressed that we need to be setting the groundwork for outside funding so we do not continue to have to struggle with how to fund ACF Culinary Team USA. The business manager has refused to take on the challenge – even with my offers to help with the legwork.

As the apprenticeship program continues to grow through the streamlined process facilitated by the grant, we can realize efficiencies through larger numbers as participants. Yet, we need to be working to garner new sources of cash flow. And, this can not come on the backs of the members of the ACF!

We need to be aggressively pursuing additional federal grants. Not only that, but also we need to pursue foundation grants, corporate sponsorship from outside of the foodservice industry, and other sources.

Eventually, we need to be able to run the ACF not on the funds of the dues, but on the funds of our programs.

What will you do to keep the professional chef and what will you do to bring in more chefs? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

As we have been able to help chapters behave as businesses, we are seeing growth in chapters who have established business plans and focused the chapter's mission and vision. This is the way we can grow the organization. We are a federation; the success of the chapters is the success of the organization. This is organic growth.

We also need to be listening to the industry. We need do be listening to members of our profession who have not chosen to join the ACF and address their concerns, needs, and wants.

We, as the organization, need to grow and change with the industry and the culinarians entering the industry. We need to be a business addressing the customer.

How do we organized our conference to address the participation of the competitors, those who want to watch the competitions, and the seminars and other activities of the conference? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

I have said it before. We need to look at the components of the conference and ask ourselves are we fulfilling the mission and needs of the conference in the most efficient way. This is tough job. We need to look at all of the different players and the needs of each of them. We need to ask ourselves if we need to change our template. I think we do. Do I have the answers? No. This needs to be looked at carefully and properly vetted. A commission, if you like, needs to address these issues and look at ways to change for the better.

How do we capitalize on the business-model of a strong local membership? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

We are a federation. It is the business of the chapter to run its business. In the strategic plan, we have the initiative to establish a chapter toolbox. This toolbox will provide the tools to help the chapter run its business. Part of that is the "best practices" aspect.

Harnessing the local chapter member and see how those members can develop into long-term national members is vital to the growth of the organization.

Addressing the issue of nutrition, how do you see it being maintained as a focus of the ACF and how does the Chef and Child Foundation play a part in that? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

The Chef and Child Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the ACF. The partnerships we develop through the Chef and Child Foundation strengthen the ACF. The nutrition seminars, the relationship with Clemson University, and more help strengthen all of the players involved. We need to continue these relationships and grow new ones.

Nutrition needs to be a bedrock of what we do as culinarians. We feed the nation. One of the fastest growing aspects of the industry is the healthcare industry. Nutrition is vital.

What are you going to do to work with "first timers" to the conferences and bring them into the fold and make them feel wanted? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

I make it a point to sit with different people at seminars, meals, and other activities. I take time to chat with people in the hallways and during different breaks. I want to know what makes people come to the conferences.

There are many different types of first timers. They run the gamut. In fact, I think we are missing one important market of potential first timers.

We need to aggressively pursue bringing non-ACF members to our conferences and convention. What better place or venue do we have to show off the value of the ACF than our conferences and convention?

What is your vision in focusing on bringing healthcare chefs into the organization? [Question addressed to all candidates.]

I think we need to take the lead of the National Pastry Chef Committee and establish like committees for different segments of our industry. I proposed this at the very beginning of this administration. It was not well-received and we have not gone in that direction.

Healthcare chefs are definitely high on the list of segment chefs we need to be addressing. And, as we do, we will continue to see growth within the organization.

How do we address the bylaws aspect of the chapter membership versus the national ACF membership? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

The bylaws are vague in this area. However, as a federation, we can not mandate to the chapters how they run their business. We can only insure that they are operating legally.

I would like to see the ACF develop a structure that embraces local chapters' need to establish the proper working mechanisms to grow not only the individual chapters, but also the overall organization. As I have looked at the local member model more and more, it makes more and more sense. It is a great way to bring in new members, strengthen the chapter, and provide value to our vendors and purveyors.

How do you envision downsizing the National Office? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

No one has proposed to downsize the National Office. We have looked into the efficiencies of the running the organization; this is what is needed when looking at the best way to run a business.

What is your position on having a chef on staff at the National Office as a subject matter expert? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

I would simply say that it only makes sense if there is appropriate return on the investment and fits into our programs. And, for it to fit into our programs it would need to be fulfilling the mission and vision statements. I am open to a study on that. I would love to see the proposal for that.

How do you envision downsizing the National Office? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

No one has proposed to downsize the National Office. We have looked into the efficiencies of the running the organization; this is what is needed when looking at the best way to run a business.

Have you visited local chapters; are you willing to able to visit the chapters? [Question addressed to candidates for President and Vice President.]

As often as possible, when my business travels take me to areas, I make it a point to visit local chapters. I have done that many times. I get a great deal out of those visits and I know that the members do as well.

How are you going to get the word out and encourage students to get more involved? [Question addressed to candidates for President.]

Chef Jon-Paul Hutchins brought us wonderful insights during his keynote address during General Session. Wow. there was a great deal of power there.

We need to be helping students find places of work where the ACF is nurtured. We need to help develop more apprenticeship sites. We need to address the cultural and generational needs of the next generations of the industry. We need to be flexible and grow with the times.

What are the specific changes you envision that will attract us to come to the regionals? [Question addressed to candidates for President and Vice President.]

As I mentioned before, we need to be look at what the aspects of the conferences are. We need to look at how to fulfill them and ask ourselves is there a different way to address those needs. We need to find appropriate venues to get the input from the membership. I believe we need to do more scientific surveys that will give us imperial data that will allow us to move forward.