ACF Central Arkansas Chefs Association

05/06/2026

Congratulations to our award winners for the ACF Central Arkansas Chefs Association chapter, recognized last night at the Delta Diamond Chef gala held at Saracen Casino's new event center! It was a great night celebrating the culinary community and competition!

Student Chef of the Year- Alyssa Frisby, UA-PTC
Student Pastry Chef of the Year- Cathy Melvin, UA-PTC
Pastry Chef of the Year- Chef Catherine McCormack, UA-PTC
Chef of the Year- Chef Payne Harding, Cache Restaurant
Educator of the Year- Kenneth Lipsmeyer, UA-PTC

08/15/2025

Congratulations to our certification candidates for successfully completing their practical exams today! Their hard work and dedication were clearly demonstrated in the kitchen.

10/15/2024

Good luck to Chefs Payne Harding of Cache Restaurant and Matias DeMatthaeis of Red Oak Steakhouse AR as they compete for the title of Delta Diamond Chef! Looking forward to a great night of competition and an epic meal prepared by the several of the best chefs in Arkansas!

Chef Tyrone Fox, Matias DeMatthaeis and Herman Lee Saracen Casino Resort
Chef Jordan Davis Chenal Country Club
Chefs Lance Curtis, Chocla Lea and Cathy Kincaid UA - Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute
Chef Kevin Doroski Draft + Table Argenta
Chef Brayan McFadden Brood & Barley
Chefs Jill McDonald and Wendy Schay The Croissanterie
Chef Greg Matthew's Performance Foodservice
Dr. Jinnings Burruss University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

The final showdown for the title of 2024 Delta Diamond Chef will take place Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Pine Bluff Country Club. Payne Harding,

09/13/2024

Congrats to all the competitors for the Central Arkansas and Delta Arkansas chapters on a great competition today, and a big thank you to the judges for their time and expertise! We look forward to recognizing the winning chefs at the Delta Diamond Chef Awards Gala & Competition in October!

09/13/2024

Chapter Chef and Student Pastry Chef competitors are in the kitchen!

07/18/2024

So very proud of ACF National Bronze medalist, Sweet Love, Kelli Marks pastry chef!!!

07/16/2024

Good luck to Sweet Love, Kelli Marks as she competes for Pastry Chef of the Year this afternoon at the ACF National Convention in Phoenix!

07/07/2024

Chapter competition application and guidelines are up! Professional and student competitions for the Central Arkansas Chefs Association and Arkansas Delta Chefs Association will take place on September 13, 2024, at UA - Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute.
https://central-arkansas-chefs-association.square.site/competitions

01/13/2024

Congrats to Chefs Jenn Danser, Thomas Vance and Donna Mallett on passing their practical exams today!

01/02/2024

The culinary excellence of Arkansas takes center stage as The American Culinary Federation Arkansas Delta Chef’s and Central Arkansas