JOHN ZEHNDER - 2006 CHEF OF THE YEAR

American Culinary Federation Flint/Saginaw Valley Chapter Honors
John Zehnder - 2006 Chef of the Year

Frankenmuth, MI - March 17, 2006 -- Citing his high level of commitment to the community and charitable groups along with dedicated participation in the Flint/Saginaw Valley Michigan Chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), Zehnder's of Frankenmuth Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director John Zehnder was named 2006 Chef of the Year. The ACF is the national organization of chefs, cooks, pastry chefs, and bakers. The Flint/Saginaw Valley Chapter has 125 members from Bay, Genesee, Isabella, Midland, Oakland, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties.

Zehnder, a certified executive chef, recently completed a four-year term as ACF Central Region Vice President overseeing educational activities and charitable fundraising for ACF chefs in a 15-state area that included Minnesota and Michigan to the north, and Texas and Louisiana to the south. He participates in several charitable activities, including Flint Head Start Weekend Snack Project, Saginaw Hidden Harvest, and the Saginaw East Side Kitchen. Zehnder is an ACF culinary practice examiner who travels throughout the Midwest to test and verify the cooking skills of chefs applying for chef certification; he also is the national chair of the ACF finance and fundraising committee.

John Zehnder joined Zehnder's of Frankenmuth in 1972 and oversees a kitchen staff of 125 cooks, chefs, and kitchen prep workers, plus a dining room staff of 250 servers, bartenders, hosts, and cashiers. In addition to his role in food production and supervision, he is also responsible for menu and food service development, food product purchasing, and quality control. He is a graduate of the Hotel and Restaurant School at Michigan State University.

Zehnder is also a certified executive chef winner of many culinary awards, including the prestigious 1995 Chef Professionalism Award presented by the ACF. In 1997, he was names ACF Central Region 1997 Chef of the Year and inducted into the American Academy of Chefs - The National Honor Society for Chefs in America.