Dr. Noel Cullen, CMC, AAC Dies February 17, 2002 -- Dr. Noel Cullen, CMC, AAC died on Saturday, February 16, 2002. He collapsed at home and was rushed to the hospital. Noel C. Cullen was elected national president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in July of 1997 at its national convention in Atlanta, GA. Founded in 1929, the American Culinary Federation is the nation’s oldest and largest professional chefs and cooks association. Dr. Cullen began his chef apprenticeship at age thirteen in Ireland. He developed his culinary skills to become one of 54 Certified Master Chefs in the United States. A member of the American Academy of Chefs and one of 100 members of the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque, he was also a member of the prestigious Les Amis des Escoffier Society, and La Chaine des Rotisseurs. Dr. Cullen had over thirty years experience in the foodservice / hospitality / education and culinary arts fields as a culinarian, chef patron, executive chef, manager and professor of hospitality administration. He held unique combination of food service and education degrees, including the Licentiate of the City and Guilds of London Institute, a Master of Science Degree in Managerial Technology, and a Doctor of Education Degree from Boston University. His many accomplishments included being selected as speaker for the "Salute to Excellence" National Restaurant Show, Chicago 1996, recipient of the Le Salon Culinaire de Londres Professional Services Award in February 1996, named 1995 National Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, a Master Craftsman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Chef Chair at Johnson & Wales University, and is a Fellow of the Epicurean World Master Chefs Society. He was past chairman of the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute. In 1997, CHRIE awarded Dr. Cullen the Chef Herman Breihaupt Trophy for excellence in hospitality education. Dr. Cullen accumulated more that 45 major international awards for his culinary art, including seven Olympic gold medals. In 1988, he captained the USA Chaine de Rotisseurs culinary team which won 27 medals and two grand prizes. Dr. Cullen again won an individual Olympic gold medal in 1992. He led Team USA Northeast to an impressive tally of 22 gold medals including nine Olympic golds over a three year period. An accomplished writer, his writings and research publications include: The Principles and Practices of Culinary Arts, Life Beyond the Line: A Front-of-House Guide for Culinarians, and Team Power: Managing Human Resources in the Hospitality Industry. His textbook for chefs, The World of Culinary Supervision, Training and Management (Prentice Hall) is now available and used in many culinary institutions. In addition, Dr. Cullen had three other books in production including Elegant Irish Cooking. Dr. Cullen was an associate professor in the School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University, where he taught culinary arts, food and beverage management, and human resources management. Dr. Cullen was unique among chefs in that he held the rare combination of culinary, food service, and education degrees, and was the only chef to have the combination of an earned Doctoral degree and Certified Master Chef status.