American Culinary Federation

What American Culinary Federation does

ACF Chefs of Milwaukee (WI-012) is a 501c3 nonprofit local chapter of the national American Culinary Federation, established in 1976 and operating in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The organization provides professional development, credentialing, and community for working chefs, culinarians, culinary students, and allied foodservice professionals. Its core offerings are a multi-tiered membership program (annual dues from $55 for Junior Culinarians to $302 for Associate members), ACF culinary certification (with member discounts up to $200), annual competitions (Hot Food, Cold Food, Student divisions), scholarship funds directed to MATC and WCTC culinary programs, a mentoring program, the Chef and Child community outreach initiative, and the ACF Kids Culinary Summer Camp (serving up to 60 children ages 7-17 annually). Recognition programs include the annual Chef of the Year Gala and a history of named awards dating back at least to 2008.

The chapter operates a chapter-based community-led and event-driven go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through recurring membership subscriptions, one-time certification and competition entry fees, career e-blast fees ($100 per send for non-members), and event proceeds (e.g., $14,362.55 raised at the June 2026 golf outing benefiting scholarship funds). Distribution occurs via direct chapter enrollment, the national ACF self-serve portal, online competition payment links, and chapter dinners/education meetings held at partner venues such as the Anderson Foodservice Solutions test kitchen in Waukesha and WCTC in Pewaukee. The chapter is affiliated with the national ACF, which is in turn a member of Worldchefs (a network of 8 million chefs across 92 countries), and partners strategically with WCTC, MATC, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation, MAFSI Wisconsin, and Anderson Foodservice Solutions. The organization is volunteer-led under a board of directors with an Executive Director (Kathy Hopp) and President (Joseph Parajecki, MMC), with no external institutional investment.

Name

American Culinary Federation

Legal name

ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, Inc.

Website

https://acfmilwaukee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ACF Chefs of Milwaukee is a 501c3 nonprofit local chapter of the American Culinary Federation providing membership, certification, competitions, scholarships, and mentoring for professional chefs, culinarians, students, and allied foodservice professionals in the Milwaukee metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Culinary Arts & Cooking (Baking, Pastry, Global Cuisines) (EDAAAGAG)

Keywords

• Culinary certification
• Professional chef membership
• Culinary competitions
• Chef networking
• Culinary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees across multiple tiers ranging from $55 to $302, effective January 1, 2025. Tiers include Junior Culinarian ($55), Student Culinarian ($89), Culinarian ($120), Senior Professional ($70), Enthusiast ($145), Professional Culinarian ($215), Allied ($230), Associate ($302), and Property Membership (varies). Revenue is recurring on an annual basis.
2. Career E-Blasts: Complimentary e-blasts for ACF Chefs of Milwaukee chapter members to share career opportunities. Non-member career e-blasts are available for a $100 fee per send.
3. Certification Fees: Fees charged for culinary certification through the American Culinary Federation. ACF members receive discounts of up to $200 on certification fees, as well as savings on ACF regional and national conference registrations (up to $500) and up to 50% savings through the Member Advantage Program.
4. Competition Entry Fees: Fees charged for participation in ACF chapter culinary competitions. Separate payment links exist for Professional Hot Food, Professional Cold, and Student Hot categories. Spectator attendance available for a $5 cash door fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACF Chefs of Milwaukee is a nonprofit 501c3 chapter of the American Culinary Federation that sells tiered professional memberships to chefs and culinarians, along with culinary certification credentials, paid entry into culinary competitions, and paid career e-blast services. The organization also delivers educational dinner meetings, mentorship, scholarships, and the Chef of the Year recognition program as part of its member benefits and community mission.

Product overview

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is a professional membership organization for chefs and culinary professionals, offering a platform architecture centered on certification, recognition, education, and community engagement. The core offerings include the ACF Certification Program for validating culinary competency, the Chef of the Year Award for recognizing excellence, ACF Culinary Competitions for skill demonstration, and membership with tiered categories providing access to the Member Advantage Program. Supporting services include the Scholarship Program, Chef and Child Program, Mentoring Program, Career Resources, and regular education/dinner meetings. The organization operates through local chapters such as ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, offering both individual membership and property/group membership options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chef of the Year Award: Annual recognition program honoring outstanding chefs within the Milwaukee chapter.
• Chef and Child Program
• ACF Kids Culinary Summer Camp
• Culinary Competition Program

Products and services

• ACF Membership Program Tiered annual membership program for individual chefs, culinary students, industry partners, and corporate property members. Membership tiers include Junior Culinarian ($55/year), Student Culinarian ($89/year), Culinarian ($120/year), Senior Professional ($70/year), Enthusiast ($145/year), Professional Culinarian ($215/year), Allied ($230/year), Associate ($302/year), and Property Membership (varies). Benefits include certification fee discounts up to $200, conference registration savings up to $500, Member Advantage Program access (up to 50% savings), term life insurance, and access to the ACF Career Center.
• ACF Certification Program Professional credentialing program that validates culinary skills, knowledge, and professionalism through various certification levels including Certified Culinarian, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), and other specialized designations such as Master Certified Chef (MMC), Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA), and Personal Certified Chef (PCII). ACF members receive discounts of up to $200 on certification fees.
• ACF Culinary Competitions Competitive culinary events including Professional Hot Food, Professional Cold, and Student Hot categories held at the WCTC Main Campus in Pewaukee, WI. Separate online payment portals exist for each competition category. Spectator attendance is available for a $5 cash door fee. Competitions serve as both skill validation against established standards and a revenue stream through entry fees and spectatorship.
• Career E-Blasts Paid email distribution service allowing employers and organizations to share career opportunities with the ACF culinary community. Complimentary for ACF Chefs of Milwaukee chapter members; available to non-members at a fee of $100 per send.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCTC serves as the primary competition venue for ACF Chefs of Milwaukee culinary competitions. The chapter also directs scholarship funds to WCTC's culinary program. Scholarship recipients from WCTC have been recognized on the chapter's website. This is a long-standing educational partnership supporting culinary training and competition.
• Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACF Chefs of Milwaukee has directed scholarship funds to MATC's culinary program. Several chapter leaders, including Chef Lisa McKay, have backgrounds as MATC culinary arts students. The chapter's ACF Culinary Scholarship Fund benefits MATC students.
• Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation (WRAEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRAEF is a beneficiary of the chapter's annual golf outing and fundraiser. The event day proceeds (totaling $14,362.55 in 2026) were split among ACF Culinary Scholarship Funds at MATC and WCTC, and WRA Education Foundation. Chapter leaders also sit on WRAEF sub-committees.
• Anderson Foodservice SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnderson Foodservice Solutions has represented foodservice manufacturers in Wisconsin since 1972. Their test kitchen facility (N8W22520 Johnson Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186) serves as the venue for ACF chapter dinner and education meetings, providing an educational test kitchen environment for chapter events.
• Worldchefs (World Association of Chefs Societies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe American Culinary Federation is a member of Worldchefs, the World Association of Chefs Societies, providing ACF members with access to a global network of 8 million chefs across 92 countries worldwide.
• MAFSI WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAFSI Wisconsin (Manufacturers' Agents for the Foodservice Industry) partnered with the ACF Chefs of Milwaukee Board for the fourth annual golf outing and fundraiser in 2026, co-branding the event as 'Teeing up for the Future of Hospitality' at Western Lakes Golf Club, Pewaukee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs): Global federation of 8 million chefs in 92 countries to which ACF belongs. Comparable because it operates the same professional membership/credentialing model for chefs at international scale, providing ACF members with global portability.
• James Beard Foundation: U.S. culinary organization best known for its chef awards and industry recognition programs. Comparable peer because it operates awards (analogous to ACF's Chef of the Year), chef community programming, and education initiatives serving the same professional chef audience.
• Court of Master Sommeliers: International credentialing body for sommeliers with a tiered certification structure (Introductory through Master). Comparable peer because it operates the same model ACF uses for chefs: tiered professional certification plus membership benefits serving a beverage-focused culinary professional audience.
• International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP): Long-standing professional association for culinary educators, food writers, and culinary professionals. Comparable peer because it offers tiered membership, networking events, and awards programs targeting an overlapping audience of culinary professionals.
• Research Chefs Association (RCA): Professional association for food research and development with the Culinology certification. Directly comparable because it serves chefs in a specialized segment with certification, networking, and an annual conference — a parallel credentialing model to ACF.
• American Culinary Federation (National): The national parent organization of the Milwaukee chapter; operates the same membership tiers, certification standards, and competition framework. Functionally the chapter is an extension of the national body, making it the single most directly comparable entity.
• American Personal & Private Chef Association (APPCA): Trade association for personal and private chefs offering certification, networking, and educational resources. Comparable peer because it uses a similar membership-and-credentialing model for a specialized segment of the culinary profession.

Broad incumbents

• National Restaurant Association: The largest U.S. foodservice trade association operating the NRA Show and ServSafe certification. Comparable as a broader industry incumbent whose membership and certification offerings overlap with ACF's foodservice audience, though it targets operators rather than individual chefs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acfmke
• Facebookfacebook.com/chefsofmilwaukee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acf-chefs-of-milwaukee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Culinary Federation