The American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA announced the addition of two pastry chefs to the national team.
Andrew Chlebana, culinary arts and pastry professor at Joliet Junior College, and Susan Notter, pastry arts program director at The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts—YTI Career Institute will be competing with the team.
“We are pleased to announce the addition of chefs Andrew Chlebana and Susan Notter to ACF Culinary Team USA,” says Joseph Leonardi, CEC, the team manager. “These chefs have extensive international pastry competition experience and have proven themselves extremely talented at their craft. They will be a great addition to the team.”
ACF Culinary Team USA is the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions. Since 1956, U.S. chefs have been competing internationally at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA), commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics,” held every four years in Erfurt, Germany.
In addition, the national team competes at the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup held every four years in Luxembourg.
Chlebana, of Plainfield, Illinois, is an ACF-certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) and Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA). He holds an associate degree in culinary arts from Joliet Junior College, and studied baking and pastry at The Culinary Institute of America.
Chebana began his culinary career at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago where he focused on fine-dining desserts, and then moved on to hold positions at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, and The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C.
Chlebana competed in several national and international culinary competitions. He received ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year in 2008 and also also competed as part of the ACF culinary team that placed second and received a gold medal at the 2013 Dubai World Hospitality Championship.
Notter, of Lancaster, has more than 35 years of experience as a pastry chef and is an ACF-certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC). Her titles have ranged from pastry cook at Konditorei Heinemann in Monchengladbach, Germany, to joint owner and instructor at the International School of Confectionery Arts in Zurich and Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Notter was named one of the “Top 10 Pastry Chefs” in the U.S. by Pastry Art & Design in 2009 and 2010 and was a member of the 2000 ACF Culinary Team USA that received a gold medal at the culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.
In 2013, she competed as part of the ACF culinary team that placed second and received a gold medal at the Dubai World Hospitality Championship, and, in 2014, she was named ACF Northeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year.
