WACS - European Conference

WACS - European Presidents Conference
Split, Croatia - 20 March 2009
Minutes taken by Ragnar Fridriksson, WACS Office Manager
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EUROPEAN PRESIDENTS CONFERENCE

Under sponsorship of the President of Croatia Mr. Stjepan Mesic, and the Ministry of Tourism, from 19 to 22 March at the hotel Le Meridien Lav in Split, gathered sixty chefs from all over Europe at the European WACS Presidents Conference.

Croatian Culinary Federation, had the honor of the Conference households and an opportunity to host delegations of twenty five European national culinary federations. This was an opportunity for Croatian Culinary Federation to presents the Split and Croatia as a tourist destination but also as a country with very rich, and to the world under known, culinary heritage.

Working part of the conference opened the President of the CCF Mr. Damir Crleni and WACS Director for the southern Europe region Mr. Srečko Koklič by welcoming all the delegations. After them, WACS President Mr. Gissur Gudmundsson from Iceland informed the delegates about the activities that initiated since its takeover last year presidency. Next to the modernizing the Society, one of the most important new initiative of WACS is a project called "Food Waste and Safety" which is aimed to raise awareness on the maximum utilization of food and reduce the amount of food that is thrown in the preparation of meals in restaurants and food that is prepared and not consumed by the guests. An amount of food, which in this way ends up in the trash are very large, and while a large part of the world lives with a lack of food, WACS considers that unacceptable and believes that this project, through its 8 million members worldwide, can achieve progress and a better future. One of the segments of this project is the fact that in developed countries, a large number of kitchen equipment is thrown away after “expiration date”, but for the underdeveloped countries all the equipment is still much better than the one they have. So all the members of WACS should try to make a difference on this issue, to make certain steps and to see that the equipment reaches their members in need.

At the end of the conference, Austrian delegates nominated Innsbruck for the next conference host city in the year 2010, and after the presentation, it was unanimously supported and accepted.

After the working part of the conference, European chefs had a chance to go on a sightseeing program to see the old town of Split and to get to know a little part of a rich Croatian culinary offerings. The conference ended with a Saturday Gala dinner at the hotel Le Meridien Lav, which was prepared by the Croatia national culinary team members Branko Ognjenović and Hrvoje Zirojević, with a help from the hotel chef Tomislav Nikšić.

Agenda

1. Welcome by President of the Croatian Chefs Association Damir Crleni and Chairman of the Conference Srečko Koklič Continental Director Central Europe

2. Welcome by president of WACS Gissur Gudmundsson

3. Chairman Information about the meeting procedure, Presentation of Delegates and Apologies for Absence

4. Approval of the Minutes last meeting in Prague.

5. Report from WACS President
    a. Information of WACS office in Paris
    b. Train the Trainer
    c. WACS Partners
    d. Juniors in WACS
    e. Congress 2010
    f. Continental Directors up for election 2010
    g. International Chefs Day 2009

6. Reports of the Continental Directors:
    a. Brendan O’Neill WACS Continental Director Europe North
    b. Reinhold Metz WACS Continental Director Europe Central
    c. Srecko Koklic WACS Continental Director Europe Southern

7. Reports from Chairmen of Culinary Competition Committee
    a. Official observer report WACS an IKA Erfurt 2008
    b. WACS endorsement
    c. WACS Approved Judges List
    d. Judging seminars

8. WACS Global Chefs Challenge:
    a. Report of GCC Nord Europe 08.-11. February 2009 Brendan O’Neill WACS
        Continental Director Europe North
    b. Presentation of Program GCC Lisbon, April 19. – 22 2009 Fausto Airoldi,
        president of Chef Association of Portugal
    c. Presentation of Program GCC Central Europe

9. Presentation of Program 4 th One World Culinary Competition,
May 21. – 23.2009 Together with 1 st regional competition Balkan Culinary
Cup - Beograd Serbia.

10. New By-Laws Changes

11. Examination the European Country members of WACS (proposal for the new arrange of area)

12. Extraordinary member s of WACS

13. European strategy for the next congress 2010 Santiago Chile

14. WACS World Congress to Norway 2014 Hakon Reigstad, president the Norwegian Chefs Association

15. European strategy for the next congress 2010 Santiago Chile

16. Reports by present Association Presidents

17. New European Countries

18. Next Meeting / Date and Place
a. Serbian Chef Association make presentation for Belgrade

19. New Business / Open Floor

20. Thanks to Host Country