The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), honored Dr. L. Timothy Ryan, certified master chef, with the Sharing Culinary Traditions Award during a formal ceremony and dinner at the 2009 ACF National Convention held at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.

The AAC gives the Sharing Culinary Traditions Award to one academy member who has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the education of future food professionals.

Ryan is president of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. A 1977 graduate of the CIA, Ryan is the first alumnus and the first faculty member to rise through the ranks to become the institution’s president. Upon graduation from the CIA, Ryan worked as a chef in the restaurant industry for five years then returned to his alma mater to serve on the faculty. He earned a doctorate degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut.

Ryan served as ACF’s national president from 1995 to1996, chairman from 1996 to1997, and vice president of the Northeast region from 1993 to1995. He is a former chairman of the editorial council for The National Culinary Review and is currently a member of the Mid Hudson Culinary Association. He has received numerous awards, including being named the national Chef of the Year by the ACF in 1988. He is one of only five Americans to receive the Presidential Medal from the World Association of Cooks Societies. Ryan captained the 1988 ACF U.S. “culinary Olympics” team to a world championship and was honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2007.