Skip to content
Reading time: 2 minutes
Head shot of Allan Okuda in chef uniform
Allan Okuda

The American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the American Culinary Federation, recognized Hawaiʻi Community College Culinary Arts Professor Allan Okuda as an honorary inductee at the 41st Annual American Academy of Chefs Induction Dinner held during the 2012 American Culinary Federation National Convention.

Okuda has been with the university since 1984. Prior to joining Hawaiʻi Community College, Okuda held executive chef positions at numerous Pacific Island resorts.

He is an active member of various associations, including the University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly, the National Restaurant Association, the American Culinary Federation and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. Okuda is also a cattle rancher and commercial fisherman.

Read the American Culinary Federation news release or the Hawaiʻi Community College Kauhale blog post to learn more about Okuda’s culinary career.

Honor society holds high standards

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning more than 200 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation.

The American Academy of Chefs, which recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to both the culinary profession and ACF, was established in 1955 at the ACF National Convention in Pittsburgh. Out of more than 20,000 ACF members, approximately 850 belong to the AAC.

To become a member, chefs must be nominated by two current AAC members and complete the required application process. Some of the standards applicants must pass are: be an ACF-certified chef for no fewer than two years; be in the culinary profession for no less than 15 years, with 10 of the 15 years as an executive chef at a full-service restaurant or at least five years for a culinary educator; be an ACF member for a minimum of 10 consecutive years; have attended any combination of four ACF regional conferences and/or national conventions; and fulfill at least 10 of the academy’s 20 elective attainable goals.

Twenty-two chefs were inducted into the academy this year.

Back To Top