WACS Official Documents

Appendix B

Welcome Message #2, Full Version
by Mr Glenn Austin, WACS Continental Director for the Pacific

Good morning! Everyone feeling as bright as me?
President of the Korean Chefs Association, Mr Kang Min Soo, WACS Continental Director for Asia, Frank
Naesheim, fellow association presidents, chefs and guests, it is an honour to participate in the opening of this forum
in South Korea – my first as a Continental Director. With the new WACS falling in place, it was agreed during the
first meeting we had that for the duration of this board, emphasis will always be on Food, Education and Members.
If we cannot agree to align what we currently are doing to one of these three things, we need to answer the question
why are we doing this.

I am responsible for the greater content of this opening speech but I find I have taken a lot of direction and material
from the new WACS President, Mr Ferdinand Metz. Between Mr Naesheim and myself you will probably hear it
twice. The food industry is about continuous learning – the ability to learn being one of the greatest gifts. The day
that we think we know everything is the day that we should lay our tools down for we have truly lost sight of the
industry.

DIRECTION SET BY PRESIDENT METZ

Listen to the words of the speakers over the next two days, absorb the positive message and share it with your
colleagues so as to grow WACS into the global knowledge base that we can all learn from. The pledge of the new
administration is to steer the members countries towards beginning the process of transforming WACS into a
professional organization without losing the fraternal bond we already have. This will not be an easy task, WACS is
a global organization of 70 countries and about 8 million cooks and chefs. In order to fulfill this mission and realize
WACS’ potential, we too have to think globally.

That means we must apply the one crucial question as we contemplate any new initiative: Is it good for WACS? Is it
good for our region? If the answer is yes, then we are doing the right thing, if the answer is no, than please try to
apply the global thinking principle. Which is not good for WACS and not good for us then do it. It is no longer good
enough to meet each year and engage in debates of administrative issues and at the same time hope that this will
attract sponsors and provide professional development opportunities for all members.

Starting today we have to focus on the issues that are really important and the suggestion that has been given to us is
the concept of C-H-E-F, which stands for: CUISINE, HOSPITALITY, EDUCATION AND FOOD.

CUISINE is what we are all about. This is what we do each and every day and what we do very well. The
globalization, which we witnessed over the past decades, will continue and we, the members of WACS should not
only follow, but lead the globalization of CUISINE. To do this effectively we need to not only draw on our own
expertise, but look toward our fellow chefs in different countries to learn about cuisines that emerge on the world
food horizon. In the past as well as today a country’s social standing and culture are often measured, among other
things, by its CUISINE. We all witnessed the gaining popularity of some Asian, South American and Mediterranean
CUISINES, and along the way gained some appreciation and even knowledge of their ingredients, cooking
techniques, traditions and flavor profiles. But what about the CUISINES of Africa, the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean
and others?

Global CUISINE is far too complex to learn about it in a vacuum. Instead we should, through our relationships in
WACS, teach one another. The presentation of Irish Cuisine at the last congress was a great example of blending a
country’s history, culture, native foods and CUISINE into a comprehensive documentation, which gave all of us a
greater appreciation of its true form.

HOSPITALITY is the fraternal part of our professional relationships within WACS, which have created lasting
friendships that bring chefs from all over the world together. At the same time, HOSPITALITY is also the most
important element, which we need to extend to our fellow chefs and our guests each and every day. HOSPITALITY
is the service to others and is the conduit that forges friendships and makes all of the other initiatives work. In the
absence of it, we will not be able to communicate or relate to each other.

EDUCATION is what transforms the culinary craft to a profession. If the definition of a craft is a special art or skill
applied with manual dexterity then it perfectly fits the description of a cook. On the other hand a profession
describes an occupation in art or science acquiring advanced training and therefore fits the requirements for an
executive chef. Within our world-wide federation we have those that can teach and those willing to learn.
EDUCATION provides an opportunity for upward mobility as it helps develop the maximum potential of any
individual. In my next message I will elaborate on our future educational activities.

FOOD is what all people need, most of them love and those most fortunate, like all of us, get to work with. Great
FOOD, like the best tomato you have ever eaten, can ignite a passion in individuals which propels them to an even
higher level of dedication. This heightened interest driven by the our desire to transform great raw ingredients into
wonderful and flavor-bursting dishes will only be matched by our attention to details in the raw materials we buy,
instead of just accepting what comes in the door.

The WACS board has made a firm commitment to measure all of its activities by how well they promote the concept
of C-H-E-F and I encourage all of you on the local, regional, national and continental level to do the same. You will
see this concept reflected in the program in the 2005 Asia-Pacific Forum held in the Gold Coast of Australia, and
one final request is please keep an eye on the website for the valuable information that you may need and please stay
in constant contact with Frank and myself. Thank you very much!

Glenn Austin