Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the WACS Congress 2008, Dubai, the 33rd World Congress of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies! I am glad you are here to partake in our exciting events during this hallmark Congress as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary. Together we have reached many milestones, and we are grateful to all of our sponsors. I would like to thank them for helping us make our vision a tangible reality. Special thanks to the Congress Sponsors who have made this event possible. I also would like to thank the American Culinary Federation for their steadfast moral and financial support of the Presidium.

After four exciting and fulfilling years, I will be stepping down as WACS President this week. I have thoroughly enjoyed, along with the team on my Board, helping to build the foundation for what is now, one of the most prestigious culinary associations in the world. I’m extremely proud of where we are today. I’m honored to have been apart of WACS during such an significant time in the Association’s development. I’m equally honored to entrust our new President with the next stage of WACS’ growth and evolution. It has been a privilege serving you, and I look forward to continuing my work with the Association in order to build upon our success.

With a strong focus on education, WACS is proud to continue its momentum through a diverse range of programs including our Professional Certification Program, Master Chef Certification and Train-The-Trainer Programs. The Global Chefs Challenge, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions, is the culmination of several years’ worth of hard work and dedication. Our inaugural event for Global Master Chef during the Congress is the result of the dedication of many WACS members.

Simultaneously, Women in WACS now provides the first-ever opportunity to speak to the needs of female chefs in the industry. We celebrate bringing women from all over the world at the Congress and providing lively discussions that should help bring about a more conducive climate for women to build successful careers in our industry. This opportunity was also made possible by the generous support of Unilever Foodsolutions.

Debuting just in 2008, WACS Train-the-Trainer Pilot program has proven an overwhelming success. Just recently, we completed a series in Bangalore, India, an enriching program spanning four days with numerous demonstrations, presentations and hands-on application. We thank Custom Culinary for their ongoing program support and look forward to continuing the work of this important Program.

The Association is at an exciting crossroads, marked also by the newly established office in Singapore. With new leadership, WACS can continue to foster and support the major developments established through decades of careful planning and execution. Regarding the elections, I urge all delegates to take into account the candidate’s experience and vision as they make their selection in order to ensure continual growth of the Association’s foundation, already firmly in place.

With thanks and best regards,

Ferdinand E. Metz

WACS Continental Directors Gissur Gudmundsson & John Sloane Vie For Presidium Votes
For the first time in about two decades, WACS members will be voting for a new presidium. During the last few presidium handovers, there had only been one contestant for presidium. Indeed this should be seen as a sign that our organization is keeping up with the times and that more and more individuals are willing to dedeicate their time and efforts to running and promoting our beloved organization.

The candidates up for election this year are truly powerhouse chefs, and very capable administrators, in their own right. Both are also WACS Continental Directors. The two teams are similar in composition — each proposes a vice-president who is an older, more established and a respected member in the WACS community, as well as a younger secretary general in-charge of spear-heading the team’s future directions.

Heading up the Iceland team is Continental Director for North Europe Gissur Gudmundsson. During his presentation, Gudmundsson revealed his strong commitment to WACS — as Continental Director he has diligently kept in touch with every country in his region, and travelled far and wide for judging competitions and promoting the cause of WACS. He makes a case for Iceland, a small country with a big heart, and his team promises a WACS office in Paris (run for four years with the help of the Iceland government) as well as changes and improvements to current WACS programmes.

Continental Director for Asia John Sloane is also hoping to win our votes for presidium. Sloane is a newcomer to the WACS board, having only taken up his position in 2006 when other Continental directors had a head start in 2004. However, he is without a doubt one of the most pro-active and effective Continental Directors the Asian region has ever seen. In the past two years, Sloane has fostered strong friendships with members in his region, and has travelled extensively throughout Asia to promote WACS. The Singapore team strongly believes it is time for Asia to step up to the plate, and show the world that Singapore can take the future of WACS to an even higher level. Team Singapore is also proposing to run a WACS office upon election.

It will surely be an exciting time over the next few days, before the vote on Thursday morning, as candidates gear up their campaigning. Every vote counts at a time like this. As we hope… May The Best Candidate Win!

33rd WACS Congress Overview: 12 May 2008

It was a very business day for WACS members, with the first official day of the WACS congress opening to the beat of traditional Arabic drums and an increased number of flags in our parade of nations — this year we introduced 12 new member countries to our 80-year-old organization! The very first item up for vote were changes to the by-lays, and they were hotly contested among members of the floor. After much discussion a motion to pass the by-laws was put to vote and due to a lack of a two-thirds majority, the by-laws did not pass and will be taken up again in Chile in 2010. Continental Director for Central Europe, Reinhold Metz, also gave a report on the growing WACS Masterchef programme which he has spearheaded and is currently very successful. Over 250 WACS masterchefs were awarded with their diplomas and medals — a great start indeed.

If you’re looking to review a presentation give during this business day, look no further than the WACS website! We have a full list of the presentations available for your review in various formats — text file, powerpoint presentations, audio as well as video. Do keep coming back to this page for more updates!