Top Culinary Schools and Top Culinary Instructors of 2009 Named by Chef2Chef.net Community

Chef2Chef.net has announced the top culinary schools and culinary instructors of 2009, as voted on by the members of the Chef2Chef culinary community. More than 70,000 votes were registered across 12 categories by Chef2Chef.net community members and site visitors during the annual voting process.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. January 13, 2010 -- After a six month voting round, the 2009 Chef2Chef.net Community Award winners for top culinary school and best culinary instructor have been announced. The Texas Culinary Academy of Austin, Texas ranked first among 100 culinary school nominees, while Chef George Zajacek of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute was named the top cooking instructor by Chef2Chef.net community members and site visitors.

"These are the best of the best when it comes to culinary schools and culinary instructors," said Seth Restaino, Chef2Chef spokesperson. "We're very pleased with the results because they represent great schools and instructors from around the nation."

The annual Chef2Chef rankings competition begins with hundreds of nominations from the culinary community. Those nominations are then voted on by members of the Chef2Chef community to determine the winners. The voting process aims to find "the best of the best in all things culinary."

The top 10 culinary schools of 2009, as selected by members of the Chef2Chef community, are as follows:

1. Texas Culinary Academy (Austin, TX)
2. Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY)
3. French Culinary Institute (New York, NY)
4. JNA Institute of Culinary Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
5. Scottsdale Culinary Institute (Scottsdale, AZ)
6. Grand Rapids Community College (Grand Rapids, MI)
7. New England Culinary Institute (Montpelier, VT)
8. Orlando Culinary Academy (Orlando, FL)
9. The Art Institute of Dallas (Dallas, TX)
10. Johnson & Wales University (Providence, RI)

The complete rankings of the top culinary schools of 2009 can be found here: http://www.chef2chef.net/rank/schools.html. Category nominees included culinary schools around the country and the professors that teach within them.

The results of the voting for the top 10 culinary instructors of 2009 are:

1. George Zajacek, CEC (Scottsdale Culinary Institute)
2. Chef Lyn Woodruff (CPCC - Central Piedmont Community College)
3. Chef Michael Elliot (Liaison College, Toronto)
4. Chef Sixto (The French Culinary Institute)
5. Chef Frank Vollkommer, CMPC (Culinary Institute of America)
6. Chef Howie Velie, CEC (The Art Institute of Washington, Culinary Art's Program)
7. Chef Ron Costa, CEC (Western Culinary Institute)
8. Chef Santos Villarico (Scottsdale Culinary Institute)
9. Chef Julian Darwin, CEC (Cascade Culinary School)
10. Chef Darrel Folck, CEC (California School of Culinary Arts)

Visit http://www.chef2chef.net/rank/inst.html to view the complete list of nominees in the 2009 top instructors voting. The annual winners are considered the "cream of the crop" among Chef2Chef.net visitors consisting of culinary professionals, students and enthusiasts.

The Chef2Chef Culinary Portal brings together cooking students with culinary experts on an interactive site that offers forums, online cooking classes, job boards, and more. Known as the "chef's practical guide to practically anything," Chef2Chef plans to expand voting in 2010, which begins in February, to include nominee profiles created by Chef2Chef uses, Twitter feeds, and more.