ACF FOUR CORNERS CHAPTER NM073

By John Bartimole

The height of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly wasn’t the most opportune of times to start a new ACF chapter. It may actually have been the worst of all possible times, given the limits on indoor dining and the ensuing labor and supply chain challenges.

Yet, two years ago, in June of 2021, ACF Chefs Brian Tatsukawa, CEC, Robert Witte, CEC, CCA, AAC, and their colleagues formed the Four Corners ACF chapter, encompassing the state of New Mexico and portions of the adjacent states of Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Its motto, “providing a culinary cornerstone in the Four Corners area,” reflects the mission and strategic intent of the chapter.

“Yes, it was a tough time to start a chapter, but, in some respects, we were pretty fortunate,” says Chef Tatsukawa, a culinary instructor (along with Chef Witte) at the ACF-accredited (exemplary status) Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and a 2022 recipient of ACF’s Cutting Edge Award. “There really wasn’t a local chapter that served our specific geographic area, so we launched the chapter. It just made more sense for us to start a new chapter than to try to fit into one too distant from us.”

Originally launched with 23 members, the membership is now growing. “Some local students have joined, as well as students from our college,” Chef Tatsukawa says. “COVID hit culinary programs in colleges hard — in fact, we were down to only a few students at the university in the program at one point, but we have bounced back.

We have up to about 15 students this semester in our primary cooking classes.”

Despite its relatively short time as an ACF chapter, the Four Corners chapter is vibrant with activities and community involvement.

“We’ve done demonstrations for our local Native American youth; we’ve held some classes on how to make Kung Pao chicken and fried rice. Our advanced baking instructor did a cupcake decorating class, and we’ve also worked with Sysco, having new product demonstrations,” Chef Tatsukawa says. “We take pride in our educational programs. We’ve also joined with the local Rotary Club to raise money for scholarships for high school students.”

Chef Tatsukawa says that one of the most impactful — and emotional — programs that the chapter hopes to assist with this year is a “Shop with a Cop” program involving law enforcement personnel. “Shop with a Cop” is a national program held during the December holiday season when police officers shop with children in need for gifts, toys and a much-needed boost of joy.

“We’re always trying to reach out and do local programs, and that’s one that we really hope to connect with,” Chef Tatsukawa says. “It’s heartbreaking to hear what the kids from broken homes and orphanages go through. My wife is a participant in the program and some of the stories the children had shared with her were heartbreaking. Some of the children were choosing food over gifts, and others were forced to make more difficult decisions.” Four Corners chapter members are hopeful that they can raise funds, cook meals and/or source volunteers to help out.

In addition to philanthropy and civic activities, competitions and convention involvement are becoming other cornerstones of the Four Corners chapter.

Chef Tatsukawa is currently prepping a student team for an ACF regional competition, and chapter members will also be participating at the ACF National Convention. “We will have some of our chapter members presenting and cooking

Native American frybread,” he says.

The chapter meets in person or Zoom every other month, “but the bulk of our members come from the Crownpoint (New Mexico) area, so it’s not too difficult to get everyone in attendance,” says Chef Tatsukawa.

Chef Tatsukawa is upbeat about the future of the chapter and is looking forward to its continued growth and progress. “We have a strong nucleus of chefs who are dedicated to the chapter,” he says. “We continue to look forward to growing our membership and becoming even more involved.”