The Circular at The Hotel Hershey Received Achievement of Excellence Award From the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation (ACF), the nation’s premier organization of professional chefs, honored The Circular at The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, Pa., with an Achievement of Excellence Award at the 2014 ACF Northeast Regional Conference held at The Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Crossings, Warwick, R.I., April 11-14.

The Circular at The Hotel Hershey is one of eight operations to receive the award during ACF’s Northeast Regional Conference. The award recognizes foodservice establishments that exemplify a commitment to excellence. Criteria for the award are: being in operation for at least five consecutive years; nomination by an ACF chapter, member or individual in the foodservice profession; and being a recognized industry leader.

“Our team is proud to accept the ACF Achievement of Excellence Award for The Circular at The Hotel Hershey,” said John Daly, food and beverage director at The Hotel Hershey. “Our founder, Milton S. Hershey, was a man of reinvention and we took that to heart when we transformed the iconic dining room. Honoring his legacy and the success of The Circular would not be possible without the hard working team behind it.”

The Circular at The Hotel Hershey provides a variety of dining experiences including small plates, signature cocktails, a lunch buffet and desserts created to order. The modern-American menu is created by executive chef Ken Gladysz, CEC, and executive pastry chef Cher Harris, CEPC. Prior to working at The Circular, Gladysz worked at several international establishments, and Harris worked as executive chef at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Grantville, Pa., and as assistant pastry chef at The Hotel Hershey. In 2014, Harris won the Ladies’ World Pastry Championship in Rimini, Italy, and received the title of “2014 Pastry Queen.”

Approximately 500 chefs, students and foodservice professionals attended ACF’s Northeast Regional Conference, hosted by ACF Rhode Island Chapter. During the conference, attendees were able to advance their professional development through business seminars, cooking demonstrations focused on how to incorporate green and sustainable cooking concepts into restaurant kitchens, culinary competitions and awards.

Regional and national sponsors of the 2014 ACF event series are: Alabama Gulf Seafood; Allen Brothers; American Technical Publishers; Barilla Foodservice; Barry Callebaut; BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.; California Avocado Commission; Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute; Central Region State Beef Councils; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Ecolab; Evo, Inc.; Fabbri USA 1905, LLC.; Fortune Fish Company; Ghirardelli Chocolate Company; Gordon Food Service; Idaho Potato Commission; J.R. Simplot Company; JTM Food Group; Johnson & Wales University; Jones Dairy Farm; Kern Meat Co., Inc.; Lactalis Foodservice; Lang Manufacturing Company; Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc.; Mercer Cutlery; MINOR’S; Monini North America, Inc.; Mooney Farms; Moore Food Distribution; National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative; Ole Tyme Produce Inc.; Par-Way Tryson, makers of Vegalene; Performance Foodservice; Plugrá European-Style Butter; Publix Super Markets; RC Fine Foods; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Rosenthal Sambonet USA Ltd; S&D Coffee; Saint Louis Chefs de Cuisine Education Foundation; Sartori Company; Sysco; The Beef Checkoff; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Food Solutions; US Foods; Valrhona; Villeroy & Boch; Vitamix Corporation; Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

About the American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the standard of excellence for chefs in North America. With nearly 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.