Chef Reilly Meehan earns the American Culinary Federation’s most prestigious recognition after cooking his way to the win
The best chef in the nation, according to the American Culinary Federation (ACF), is Reilly Meehan, CEC, executive sous chef at the Bohemian Club, an elite private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Union Square district of San Francisco and Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, Calif. Meehan received the title of 2019 U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year™ at a gala awards dinner Aug. 8 after scoring highest in a five-chef competition the day before at the 2019 ACF National Convention & Show at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
Centerline Brackets served as exclusive sponsor of the national Chef of the Year award. “Most people don’t automatically associate our product lines with the needs of professional chefs and cooks,” said Centerline’s CEO and managing partner, Tracy Smith, who spoke to the white-tablecloth-seated crowd as the award ceremony commenced. “In fact, our steel brackets provide necessary support to countertops, shelves and many other load-bearing structures in thousands of commercial and residential kitchens and bars throughout the world.
“Our desire to sponsor this year’s U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year Competition and Award, however, was inspired by our admiration of the sincere and extreme passion, dedication and skilled craftsmanship shared by chefs with their customers as well as young people who dream of success. That commitment resonates with us at Centerline because we, like culinary professionals at the top of their game, practice daily those same principles of exceeding customer expectations while supporting our employees to achieve all they aspire to become.”
Reilly, who won the ACF’s 2019 Western Region Chef of the Year Award earlier this year, competed in Orlando against three other regional winners and a chef representing the U.S. Armed Forces for the national award. The chefs, assisted by student apprentices, had one hour to prepare and cook four different plates utilizing a “market basket” of ingredients A panel of ACF-approved judges evaluated organization, cooking skills, culinary techniques and taste to determine the winner.
The U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year award was created in 1963 to acknowledge chef and ACF member Walter Roth for his tireless efforts to promote and elevate the culinary profession. Over the decades it has grown in prestige to become the highest honor annually bestowed by the organization by recognizing one outstanding chef who demonstrates the highest standard of culinary skill, advances the cuisine of America and gives back to the profession through the development of students and apprentices.
Reilly, a Certified Executive Chef® (CEC) through the ACF, was one of approximately 1,300 chefs, cooks, students and foodservice professionals attending the 2019 ACF National Convention & Show in Orlando, Aug. 4-8. For information on Reilly’s professional background, winning menu that earned him the title of 2019 U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year, and more, contact the ACF at (904) 824-4468 or helpdesk@acfchefs.net.
About the American Culinary Federation: The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929 and based in St. Augustine, Fla., is the standard of excellence for chefs in North America. With more than 15,500 members spanning more than 170 chapters nationwide, the ACF is the leading culinary association offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, the ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org and find the ACF on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and digital-publications hub WeAreChefs.com.
About Centerline Brackets: Founded in 2012, Centerline Brackets, a division of Centerline Steel, LLC, is a majority-woman/family-owned company dedicated to uncompromising product quality coupled with superior customer service. All brackets are made from American steel and manufactured in Centerline’s state-of-the-art facilities in St. Augustine, Fla. In addition to its portfolio of countertop supports meeting the greatest number of conventional needs, Centerline’s full-service shop manufactures custom products to match any customer specifications. For more information, visit their website and find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
