ACF CHEF TONY LE, CEC

The 2023 ACF Chef of the Year

By John Bartimole

What began innocently enough as a 10-year-old boy gamely assuming cooking duties for his family set ACF Chef Tony Le, CEC , on a professional path that recently included him being named ACF’s Chef of the Year for 2023 following a grueling qualifying competition and national competition at the ACF National Convention last year.

“I come from a family with three boys, and we each had different responsibilities,” he says. “With both my parents having to travel for their jobs, it fell on me somehow to cook. And I enjoyed it, though, in the beginning, I cooked a lot of eggs and other dishes such as pulled pork. You know — a lot of quick and easy, or ‘set it and forget it’ types of dishes. But that’s where my passion for cooking came from — making meals for my family.”

Chef Le quickly advanced from those simple dishes and, as his repertoire expanded, so did his interest in the culinary arts.

“Then I started cooking for my friends, and within my small social group, I became known as the cook,” he says, adding with a laugh, “perhaps that’s why I was invited to so many parties.”

But Chef Le, who was raised in California, decided to let fate decide his path after he graduated from high school. “My parents said to me, ‘OK, you graduated high school. Now, go out and get a job.’”

After pondering his options for some time after graduation, he decided to apply to Johnson & Wales University “on a whim.”

“But it was a whim that was prodded by my passion for cooking,” he says. “No one in my family had gone to college, so I was the first. I was 21 at the time when I went to [JW]. I had never really been away from home, and I had never really traveled anywhere far away alone. It was quite an experience.”

Chef Le earned two degrees from JW — an associate degree in culinary arts/ chef’s training and a bachelor’s degree in food service, waiter/waitress and dining room management. It wasn’t long before Chef Le landed a position at the Somerset Club in Boston. “That experience is a big part of my culinary upbringing,” he says. “At the time, there were a lot of strong individuals, excellent chefs, working there. Those people are giants in our industry. They pushed me every day. I failed every day. I stood up every day and tried again.”

“Every day was a learning experience,” Chef Le adds. “I was the small fish swallowing every bit of information from them that I could. I learned so much from them.”

That willingness to teach others resonated with Chef Le, who currently serves as executive chef at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where he rose to that position — from a line cook — in just under eight years.

ACF Chef Tony Le, CEC

“I believe so much in the ACF’s mission statement: ‘To be the leader in professional and personal development for the culinary community, while promoting current culinary techniques and preserving the history and skills of our craft.’ I find that chefs are so willing to help out. It’s a very giving community, one that believes in educating others and the next generation.”

Toward that end, Chef Le is trying to set an example for the team he works with. “I’m not someone who normally participates in competitions,” he said. “But I entered [the ACF Chef of the Year Competition] because I wanted to show my team what was possible for them — such notoriety is not just something you see on TV.”

Chef Le wanted to “prove to them it was OK to try to succeed,” he said. “I told them, if we don’t win, I’ll just do it again and again until I do.” But there was no need for that; Chef Le won the only two competitions he’s ever been in — the regional qualifying competition for ACF’s national competitions and the national competition held during the 2023 ACF National Convention in New Orleans.

“The medal, certificate, and [Chef of the Year] title is great, but the journey is the part that I’ll hold on to for a lifetime,” he said. “Competing for the ACF Chef of the Year was the most challenging hours of my career. It was physically and mentally draining, but those feelings were trumped by the fact that I shared it with the people I love and care about the most.” Chef Le’s next goal is to become a Certified Master Chef (CMC).

At home, Chef Le’s wife, who is Puerto Rican and Portuguese, “does most of the cooking, primarily of Puerto Rican origin, rice and beans, salted cod,” he says. “I enjoy cooking wings at home. In my professional kitchen, I enjoy cooking Nantucket bay scallops.”

Chef Le is optimistic about the future of culinary. “Our profession has a very bright future,” he says. “It’s up to us to bring out the fire in our young chefs. We need to grow this field and encourage and motivate as many people as possible.”

ACF Chef Tony Le, CEC, the 2023 ACF Chef of Year, and his winning dishes from the national competition last July, tasting of summer corn with zucchini, summer corn puree, confit tomato, marinated fava beans, charred corn, marinated sweet pepper, peanuts and coconut tuile.