Fellow chefs give Delfino top award
A self-taught chef whose first job was in a sandwich shop has been honored by his fellow chefs for his professionalism.
Spokane Athletic Club Executive Chef Raymond Delfino won the 2004 Chef Professionalism Award from the American Culinary Federation for the western region. In July, he’ll be considered for the ACF’s national award.
The honor is presented to the chef who exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism, continuing education and training, culinary competitions and community involvement, according to the ACF.
Delfino, who has been the executive chef at the Spokane Club for 10 years, was characteristically humble about the honor. “Just to be nominated is a privilege,” he said recently.
As the president of the local chapter of the American Culinary Federation Chef’s de Cuisine, he’s helped to organize the local culinary salons, competitions and training to help local chefs sharpening their skills and meeting certification standards.
“Ray … and his efforts have brought our small chapter in the northwest into prominence on the national level,” said Jim Wolters, executive chef at the Manito Country Club. He works with Delfino as the chairman of Chef and the Child, the fund-raising arm of the local ACF chapter.
Before moving to the Spokane Club, Delfino was the executive chef for Red Lion Hotels in Spokane. He started with Red Lion Hotels as a breakfast line cook in Bellevue, Wash., before working his way into positions as fine dining lunch cook and overseeing the Sunday brunch.
Delfino is also known for mentoring young chefs and managing the tricky mix of long hours in the kitchen with life at home. He’s been married 23 years to Karen and they have three children ages 21, 20 and 17.
“There is a healthy balance in everything he does,” said Patty Seebeck, a registered dietician who worked with Delfino for 10 years through the benefit dinner a “Heart Act to Follow,” for the Heart Institute.
Delfino is most proud of the charity work. He said he tries to encourage the young chefs he works with how important it is to make time for those events. “I try to preach to them that there is more to the business than the daily workload, it’s how we operate in the community.”
The list of fund-raising events Delfino works into his routine is long. It includes: the local ACF chefs Chef & the Child dinner for the Children’s Miracle Network, the Second Harvest Food Bank’s annual “Taking a Bite Out of Hunger” fund-raiser, the annual Epicurean Delight black-tie dinner for Empire Health Services, and the Mostly Merlot dinner for Spokane’s Cancer Patient Care and the annual Taste Washington.
Delfino was also honored last month as the chef of the year by his own chapter. He’s been the president of the group for the last seven years. He’ll travel to San Antonio this summer to vie for the national professionalism award.