Bonita Springs, Fla. – Colony Bay Club Executive Chef Stephen Bush was named the American Culinary Federation’s Southeast Chef of the Year at the 2022 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. In addition, Chef Bush was awarded a silver medal in the ACF’s National Chef of the Year competition. The honor of an ACF award proves skill, knowledge and professionalism in the culinary industry and furthers recognition for an individual as a qualified chef.
Hundreds of professional chefs attend ACF’s National Convention each year for professional development opportunities and to enhance their culinary skills. As part of the convention, the Chef of the Year competition is held with chefs from all regions competing for the national title. The competitors from each region with the highest score win the regional titles, while the highest overall score wins the national title. For the 2022 competition, competitors prepared six portions of a vegetarian appetizer and six portions of a duck entrée from scratch in two hours and 15 minutes. Chef Bush prepared the following appetizer and entrée:
- Pickled petite beets stuffed with citrus ricotta cheese served on top of pomegranate infused quinoa accompanied with mulled beet puree, beet macaroons, honey-sumac panna cotta and orange-avocado vinaigrette
- Duck four ways including maple glazed duck breast, pressed thigh and wild mushroom pave, duck leg confit with melted leeks, foie gras and black beluga lentil fritters served with butternut puree, cherry compote and natural duck jus
The ACF recognition adds to a list of accolades won by Chef Bush. In 2020, he won gold, silver and bronze medals at the IKA Culinary Arts Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany. He competed at the worldwide event as a member of the American Culinary Federation’s Regional Team, returning to the U.S. with a gold and bronze medal in the team competition, as well as a silver medal in the individual competition.
“Chef Bush comes to work every day and quietly inspires us all to be better in both our everyday lives and our professional ones. He is the perfect mixture of talent, vision, drive, humility, professionalism and humor. His humble, yet elite talent proves that practice makes perfect, and you don’t need to make a lot of noise to get attention. It is a joy to see others on both national and international stages award Chef Bush the same recognition and respect that we do here at The Colony Bay Club,” said The Colony Bay Club General Manager Ellen Perkins.
Chef Bush has been the Executive Chef at The Colony Bay Club since August 2019 and has 20-plus years of culinary experience. He has a degree in Culinary Arts and holds more than 20 medals from international and domestic culinary competitions.
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 more than 12,000 members spanning more than 170 chapters nationwide, ACF is the leading culinary association 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®, Certified Executive Pastry Chef® and Certified Culinary Educator® designations accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to Chef & Child, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.
About Troon
The Colony Bay Club is managed by ICON Management Services, a division of Troon. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 750-plus locations, including 725-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses around the globe. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 30-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management Services and ClubUp. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.
Media Contact:
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
rmyers@troon.com
