From the opening of the 2002 Personal Chef Summit right through to the closing, Candy Wallace was as she ever is - willing to meet with everyone, available for all attendees, and busier than ever imaginable!

Yet despite the hectic timetable, Candy was able to address some important issues in both her opening and closing statements:



Undoubtedly this is one of the single most important achievements of the Personal Chef industry. With the ACF's announcement of the Personal Certified Chef and Personal Certified Executive Chef programs to be rolled out in January, the Personal Chef industry received the culinary industry's recognition, acceptance and validation.

These certification programs now provide new and established Personal Chefs with a roadmap for a vital and valid path of professional development that is verified by an established peer community.



While the achievements with the ACF are great, Candy took a moment to remind attendees that the Personal Chef industry is still comparatively small and that individuals need to support one another within their communities regardless of association affiliation. APCA members need to continue to commit that supporting the well-being of Industry is first.

If a prospective client is too far from your service area, or you are simply booked up, it just makes sense to support the industry by referring them to a Personal Chef who can fill that client's needs, regardless of what group that chef may belong to.

Ultimately, the industry still has some distance to go before becoming firmly entrenched with consumers, and Personal Chefs who understand that helping each other will ultimately benefit everyone will be the real industry leaders.

We've attained a tremendous amount of visibility and credibility over the past year and are positioned to "raise the bar" again for the industry over the course of the upcoming year. We have much to be proud of and a long way to go together.

Here's wishing everyone a safe and Happy Holiday season!