Press Releases

S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition Announces Winner from California Culinary Academy

San Francisco | CA

(September 14, 2005) Anna Ference is the winner of the regional S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition at the California Culinary Academy (CCA). Anna Ference is a top student at the California Culinary Academy who impressed the judges with her innovative creation of Seared Ahi Tuna.

For an intense two hour preparation for the student contestants’ signature dish for presentation and judging, Anna Ference and eight students from CCA competed for advancement to the national competition. A panel of celebrity chefs and food media judged the contestants’ culinary and presentation skills, in addition to offering some guidance and tips on how to become a culinary star! The culinary judging panel included Arnold Eric Wong of EOS Restaurant & Wine Bar, Scott Giambastiani of Voignier, Greg Cole of Celadon and Coles Chop House, Mark Stark of Wili’s Wine Bar and Steven Oliver of Nob Hill Gazette.

After receiving her BA from Franklin Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Anna realized her interest and passion for cooking. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Anna has been exposed to a variety of Mexican and Southwestern flavors and ingredients and attributes these unique cultures as a basis for her culinary cuisine and expertise. Upon graduation, Anna will receive an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in Le Cordon Bleu-Culinary Arts from CCA. Presently, she is getting ready to compete with nine other regional winners at the 4th Annual S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition at COPIA: The Center for Food, Wine and the Arts in Napa, CA, for the title of the next S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef.

The high-powered culinary judging panel for the national competition is slated to include chefs Victor Scargle with Julia’s Kitchen at COPIA and Ken Frank, La Toque Restaurant, along with top media consultants Jennifer English with the Food and Wine Radio Network in Las Vegas and Jeannie Kelly with Bon Appetit. Additional judges will be named in the weeks to come.