BYLAWS OF THE AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION,

AKRON-CANTON COOKS AND CHEFS ASSOCIATION

Preamble

The American Culinary Federation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation, organized as a nonpartisan federation of chefs and other culinarians, dedicated to the promotion of excellence, education, professionalism and collegiality in the culinary profession.

Article I

Definitions

The following defined terms and abbreviations are utilized in the Bylaws:

ACF Akron-Canton refers to the American Culinary Federation Cooks and Chefs Association.

AAC refers to The American Academy of Chefs.

ACF refers to the American Culinary Federation, Inc.

Culinarians refers to professional chefs, cooks and bakers engaged in (a) food and beverage planning, preparation, service or supervision in commercial kitchens, hotels, clubs, restaurants, schools and other institutions; (b) culinary education; (c) culinary research, development or testing; or (d) other culinary employment.

Chapter officers refers to the officers listed in Article IV.

Unethical Conduct means theft, embezzlement, fraud, material misrepresentation, deceit, defamation, sexual harassment, malicious abuse of ACF office or other misconduct involving dishonesty or moral turpitude.

Article II

Membership

Section 1. Eligibility. ACF membership shall be open to Culinarians and other individuals engaged in the culinary profession and allied employment who meet the requirements set forth in Section 2.

Section 2. Categories of Membership. There shall be eight categories of ACF membership (exclusive of the Board of Governors). The categories, their membership qualifications, and the vote members shall be entitled to in the election of national officers and at-large directors shall be as follows:

(a) Active Member. An Active Member shall be a Culinarian with at least three years full-time employment in the culinary profession. An Active Member shall have one vote in the election of chapter officers, national officers and at-large directors.

(b) Junior Member. A Junior Member shall be a Culinarian with less than three years full-time employment in the culinary profession; a student enrolled in an accredited joint vocational culinary program, a postsecondary culinary education program; or a registered apprentice as defined by the ACF apprenticeship training program. A Junior Member who is at least 18 years of age shall have one vote for ACF Akron-Canton chapter business and one-half (½) vote for national business. Junior Memberships shall be subject to a lifetime limit of four years.

(c) Junior Culinarian. A Junior Culinarian shall be a high school student between 16 and 18 years of age who is enrolled in an ACCESS ACF vocational program. Junior Culinarians shall have no vote.

(d) Senior Member. A Senior Member shall be at least 62 years of age, retired from employment and have been an ACF member in any category for at least 10 years. Regardless of age, a member with at least two years tenure in any category who is permanently and totally disabled from culinary employment shall be eligible for Senior Membership. Senior Members shall receive such discounted dues as the National Board of Governors shall deem appropriate. They shall retain the rights and privileges of the membership category from which they retired, including the right (if any) to vote for chapter officers, national officers and at-large directors and to hold national office.

(e) Life Senior Chef Member.

A Life Senior Chef Member shall be an Active Member who is at least 65 years of age, retired from employment and has been a member in good standing for 10 years. Life Senior Chef Members shall be exempt from dues for life. They shall have the rights and privileges of an Active Member, including the right to vote for chapter officers, national officers and at large directors and to hold national office.

(f) Associate Member. An Associate Member shall be a representative of a group, company or corporation providing products or services to the culinary profession, or who wishes to support and promote the ACF and culinary profession. Associate Members shall have no voting rights.

(g) Allied Members. An Allied Member shall be an individual employed in a field related to the culinary profession (such as dietetics, home economics, food stylist, etc.) who does not qualify to be an Active, Associate or Junior Member. Allied Members shall have no voting rights.

(h) Honorary Members.

National Honorary Member A National Honorary Member shall be nominated by the ACF President and unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the ACF. Members voted to National Honorary Membership from the Active or Life Senior Chef category shall retain their voting privileges and eligibility for office. Otherwise, they shall not have voting rights and shall not be eligible to hold a chapter office. They shall be exempt from dues.

Chapter Honorary Member A Honorary Member shall be nominated by the ACF Akron-Canton Chapter President and unanimously approved by the ACF Akron-Canton Board Executive Committee. Members voted to Honorary Membership from the Active or Life Senior Chef category shall retain their voting privileges and eligibility for chapter office only. Otherwise, they shall not have voting rights and shall not be eligible to hold a chapter office. They shall be exempt from dues. A Chapter Honorary Member is not a National ACF member

(i) National Life Member.

A National Life Member shall be an Active or Life Senior Chef Member who has served as President of the ACF or been elected as National Chef of the Year or to the AAC Hall of Fame. They shall have the rights and privileges of Active Members, including the rights to vote and hold office. They shall be exempt from dues.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections (a) through (i) above, members who belong to the National or International Chapters shall not be eligible to serve as chapter officers or vote in chapter elections.

Section 3. Chapter Membership. All local chapter memberships must fall into one of the membership categories listed in Section 2 of this Article II. No other membership categories shall be recognized by the ACF. ACF members must maintain their chapter membership in order for their national membership to remain in good standing. However, this requirement shall not apply to National Honorary, National Life and International Members, and shall not be construed to prevent members from transferring chapters.

Section 4. National ACF Membership. All applications for ACF membership must be forwarded by the local chapter to the ACF national office for approval. In the event the ACF rejects an application, it shall also be deemed rejected for the purpose of chapter and national membership and the rejected applicant shall not be considered a member of the ACF local chapter or national for any purpose.

Section 5. Voting Rights and Other Membership Privileges and Benefits. Voting members may vote in the election of chapter officers and all other business requiring the vote of members as brought before the membership by the ACF Akron-Canton Executive Committee. ACF members shall be entitled to such other rights, privileges and benefits of national membership as may be conferred by the Bylaws or Board of Directors. Their eligibility to hold national office and serve on committees shall be governed by Articles IV-VI. They shall be entitled to such benefits of chapter membership as their chapter may provide.

Section 6. Membership Obligations. As a condition of membership, all ACF members shall be bound and abide by the ACF Bylaws, policies and procedures, as amended from time to time, including without limitation, the Culinarians Code and the ACF rules governing Unethical Conduct, the procedure for joining the ACF, and termination and suspension of membership.

Article III

The Executive Committee

Section 1. Executive Committee. The membership of the Executive Committee shall be comprised of the following: the ACF Akron-Canton President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Presidents, Chairman of the Board (immediate past chapter president); Sargent of Arms, and such non-voting members as provided in these Bylaws. The ACF Akron-Canton Standing and Special Committee Chairs shall serve as non-voting members.

Section 2. Powers and Duties. The Executive Committee shall be the representative body of the chapter membership. The Board of Governors shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) The Executive Committee shall have the authority to amend the Bylaws, as provided in Article XIV herein.

(b) The Executive Committee shall approve the annual budget.

(d) The approval of the Executive Committee shall be required of any amendment to the Bylaws adopted by the chapter membership that would:

(i) Reduce the power or authority of the Executive Committee.

(ii) Change the composition of the Executive Committee.

(iii) Abolish or dilute the voting power of the chapter membership in the election of ACF Akron-Canton officers.

(iv) Abridge the right of the chapter membership to elect chapter officers.

(v) Change the method of selecting the members of the Executive Committee.

(vi) Abolish the requirement that ACF Akron-Canton chapter membership must conform to the ACF bylaws.

(e) The Executive Committee shall break ties in the election of chapter officers.

(f) The Board shall recommend ACF Akron-Canton chapter dues to the membership.

Article IV

ACF Akron-Canton Chapter Officers

Section 1. General. The officers of the Akron-Canton chapter shall be the Chapter President, Secretary, Treasurer, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and Sargent of Arms

Section 2. Qualifications for Chapter Office A member shall be an active or active retired member of ACF Akron-Canton Chapter for two or more years. A member shall have attended 15 of the last 30 official ACF Akron-Canton functions or meetings. A member shall have served on one standing committee.

Section 3. Term of Office. The chapter officers shall be elected by the majority vote of the chapter membership in odd-numbered years in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article VIII. Each officer shall serve a two-year term, beginning in the January following the election and continuing until a successor is duly elected and qualified. An officer appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve until a successor is elected and installed in office. No officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 4. Powers and Duties. In addition to the powers and duties conferred by the Bylaws, the chapter officers shall have the customary powers and duties of their office, subject to such terms, conditions and limitations as may be imposed by the Bylaws.

Section 5. President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the ACF Akron-Canton Chapter. Duties are:

(a) Shall preside at all Executive Committee and Membership Meetings.

(b) Shall appoint all standing committee chairs with the approval of the Executive Committee. (c) Shall approve ad hoc committees as needed.

(d) Shall sign with the Treasurer all forms of payments for the chapter.

(e) Shall sign with the Secretary all contracts for the chapter.

(f) Shall appoint any eligibly member to fill any elected position that becomes vacant with the approval of the Executive Committee.

(g) Shall perform other duties as directed by the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Secretary. Shall be elected to a two year term and not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term shall begin at the membership meeting in January in even numbered years. Duties are:

(a) Shall be responsible for keeping the records of the ACF Akron-Canton chapter and the preparation of the minutes of all chapter meetings.

(b) Shall take the minutes of all Board, Executive Committee and Membership Meetings.

(d) Shall keep an updated roster of the membership and shall keep the attendance sheets from each meeting.

(e) Shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.

Section 7. Treasurer. Shall be elected to a two year term and not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term shall begin at the membership meeting in January in even numbered years. Duties are:

(a) Shall keep the financial records of the chapter.

(b) Shall see to the timely preparation of monthly financial reports and budgets for presentation to the Executive Committee.

(d) Shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.

(e) Shall be charged to hold the property if the Sergeant at Arms is not available..

Section 8. First Vice President. Shall be elected to a two year term and not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term shall begin at the membership meeting in January in even numbered years. Duties are:

(a) Shall replace, until a special election takes place or for the remainder of the term of the chapter president in case the office becomes vacant and will be able to run for president for two consecutive terms.

(b) Shall plan the educational programing of the chapter for the monthly chapter meetings

Section 9 Second Vice President. Shall be elected to a two year term and not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term shall begin at the membership meeting in January in even numbered years. Duties are:

(b) Shall oversee all fund raising committees of the chapter.

Section 10. Chair of the Board. Shall be the immediate past president who shall serve until a new person is elected president. Duties are:

(a) Shall preside at meetings the president is unable to attend.

(b) Shall perform the duties of an office that becomes vacant until a replacement is appointed.

(d) Shall serve as an advisor to the President

(e) Shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.

Section 11. Sergeant at Arms. Shall be elected to a two year term and not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term shall begin at the membership meeting in January in even numbered years. Duties are:

(a) Shall keep the personal property of the chapter.

(b) Shall assist the president to keep order in meetings and shall ensure that all members and guest sign the attendance sheets for all meetings.

Article V

Committees

Section 1 Executive Committee. Shall consist of the elected officers of ACF Akron-Canton Chapter; they shall approve all appointments by the president; shall prepare the budget for presentation to the membership.

Section 2 Membership Committee. Shall consist of five members with one being a junior member and another an associate member. The Chair shall be appointed by the president and the chair shall select their committee members. The Chair shall serve on the Executive Committee with a vote. The committee is responsible for retention of current members, signing up new members, providing an orientation program for new members and development of member relations program.

Section 3 Education Committee. Shall consist of five members and shall have one culinary educator and a chef running an apprentice program. The Chair shall be appointed by the president and the chair shall select their committee members. The Chair shall serve on the Board of Directors with a vote. The committee is responsible to have 10 ‑ two hour or longer educational programs per year and to work with the apprentice program as well the students in all culinary programs.

Section 4. Nominations & Elections Committee. The Nominations & Elections Committee shall facilitate the nomination process and supervise the election of the chapter officers. The Committee shall accept nominations from eligible ACF members, verify the qualifications of the nominees and present the list of qualified nominees to the membership following the close of nominations. The chair shall be the Chairman of the Board. The Chair will select the committee members who will be approved by the Executive Committee.

Article VI

Standing Committees (with Policies and Procedures)

Section 1 Executive Committee. Shall consist of the elected officers of ACF Akron-Canton; they shall approve all appointments by the president; and shall prepare the budget for presentation to the membership.

Section 2 The chairs of the standing committees listed in section 3 below shall serve, with the elected officers, on the Executive Committee and each shall have one vote.

Section 3 Standing Committees. Membership, Education, Newsletter, Certification, Bylaws, Community Fund Raising, Chapter Fund Raising, Awards, Culinary, Apprentice.

Section 4 There shall be a Junior and an Associate committees and the Chair shall serve on the Executive Committee and each shall have no vote.

Section 5 The committees shall abide by the Policies and Procedures approved by the Executive Committee and shall prepare an "ACF Program Folder" for their committee and shall assist their "Special Committee Chairs" to prepare one for their programs.

Section 6 Ad Hoc Committees. The president may from time to time appoint an ad hoc Committees, the chair shall not serve and shall not have a vote on the Board of Directors.

Section 7 Special Program Committees. These committees and their chair will be appointed by standing committee chairs to run the different programs in their committee's area of responsibility. The chapter president may over rule the appointment of a Special Committee Chair. The chair shall not serve and shall not have a vote on the Executive Committee.

Section 8 General Rules. The following general rules and procedures apply to the Special Committees.

(a) Committee Chairs. The President shall nominate and the Executive Committee shall approve the Special Committee Chairs. Any ACF member in good standing with Active or Life Senior Chef privileges shall be eligible to serve as Chair. The Chairs shall serve two-year terms, beginning with the installation of the chapter officers at the January meeting in election years. The Committee Chairs appointed by the Board of Directors shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and may be dismissed by the Board without cause.

(b) Committee Membership. The membership of Special Committees shall consist of ACF members in good standing. However, Associate and Allied members shall be eligible to serve only in an advisory capacity as non-voting members. The Committee membership shall be selected by the Executive Committee. The Committee members appointed by the Executive Committee shall be subject to dismissal by the Board without cause.

(c) Duties. The Special Committee Chairs appointed by the Chapter President or Executive Committee shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee.

Article VII

Qualifications for Office

Section 1 A member shall be an active or active retired member of ACF Akron-Canton for two or more years.

Section 2 A member shall have attended 15 of the last 30 official ACF Akron-Canton functions or meetings.

Section 3 A member shall have served on one standing committee.

Article VIII

Nomination and Elections

Section 1. The Nominations & Elections Committee. The Nominations & Elections Committee shall supervise the election of the chapter officers in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Committee and approved by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Nominations. Nominations will open at the September Membership Meeting in odd numbered years and close at the November meeting that same year.

Section 3 Each nominee will be allowed five minutes to speak at the November meeting.

Section 4 Nominees will be allowed to write a 200 word or less article about themselves or a position on chapter issues for the December issue of the chapter newsletter, “The Culinaire.”

Section 5 There shall be no other campaigning other than asking individual members for their vote.

Section 6 The Nominations and Elections Committee will verify the eligibility of each nominee and insure that the campaign rules are followed.

Section 7 Vote Tally. The nominee for office who receives the most votes for that office shall be declared the winner. If there is a tie for first place, it shall be broken by secret vote during an emergency session of the Executive Committee immediately following the declaration of the meeting.

Section 8 The newly elected officers shall be sworn into office by the Immediate Past President at the January meeting following the election.

Article IX

Meetings

Section 1 The membership shall meet at a place and time determined by the president on the second Monday of each month.

Section 2 The Executive Committee shall meet no less than 6 times during a calender year at a place, time and date determined by the ACF Akron-Canton president.

Section 3 Committees shall meet as needed.

Section 4 Meeting notice for all meetings of ACF Akron-Canton shall be mailed no less than 10 days before the meeting containing date, time and place.

Article X

Dues and Fees

Section 1 There shall be no processing fee for new members.

Section 2 Added to the ACF national dues the chapter dues shall be:

Active $50.00

Retired none

Junior $5.00

Associate $50.00

Allied $50.00

Honorary and National Life none

Section 3 ACF national office will bill dues for both chapter and ACF and dues are due on your anniversary due date.

Section 4 The Chapter Treasurer shall collect dues from all new members of the chapter and shall send ACF their part after the person is elected to membership.

Section 5 Any member more than 60 days past due on paying their dues shall not have any rights of membership, shall resign from any office they hold and may not vote on any business of the chapter.

Article XI

Removal of Officers and Expulsion of Members

Section 1 If an elected officer of ACF Akron-Canton is accused of misconduct then the accuser must notify the secretary in writing of the misconduct. The officer will be able at the next Executive Committee meeting to defend themselves. The Executive Committee will vote if the accusations are such to warrant a recall election (majority vote). If a recall is called then at the next Membership meeting, the accuser and the defending officer, will be allowed time to speak on their issue. The members present will vote Yes to recall, No to keep in office. The majority rules.

Section 2 Appointed officers may be removed by the body that appointed them.

Section 3. Termination of Membership. ACF members shall be subject to expulsion or other sanction by reason of Unethical Conduct. Any ACF member who has been the victim of Unethical Conduct may file a complaint against the accused with the ACF Secretary, who shall promptly furnish a copy to the accused member and the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee shall investigate the charges, giving both the accuser and accused notice and the opportunity to be heard. At the conclusion of its investigation, the Committee shall issue a written report, including findings as to whether or not the accused is guilty of Unethical Conduct. If the Committee finds the accused not guilty, then there shall be no further action taken in the matter. If the Committee finds that the accused is guilty, then it shall recommend in its report appropriate punishment, including without limitation, termination of membership, suspension of membership for up to six months, or written reprimand. Upon receipt of the report, the Board of Directors shall act upon the recommendations of the Committee. The Board of Directors may impose any or all punishment recommended by the Committee, but may not impose any other punishment. Alternatively, the Board may reject the Committee’s recommendations and impose no punishment.

Section 4. Finality. Any action duly taken by the Ethics Committee and/or the Board of Directors under this Article shall be final, binding and conclusive on all parties.

Section 5. Suspension or Termination of Chapter Membership. If an accused ACF membership is suspended or terminated for Unethical Conduct pursuant to Section 2, his/her ACF chapter membership shall be deemed likewise suspended or terminated.

Article XII

Audits

Section 1 The chapter president shall appoint two senior members that are not serving on the Executive Committee to audit the accounts of the chapter.

Section 2 The audit shall take place no less than 30 and no more than 60 days after the close of the year.

Article XIII

Dissolution

Section 1 The ACF Akron-Canton may be dissolved by a vote of 75 percent of the members present at a meeting that a 30 day written notice was sent to all paid members stating that a "Dissolution of the Chapter Vote" was to be taken.

Section 2 If the members vote to dissolve the chapter, all funds remaining after all just obligations of the chapter are paid shall be given to the ACF Foundation, Inc.

Article XIV

Amendments

Section 1 Any "Active / Active Retired" Member may suggest an amendment to this Bylaw. The Executive Committee will research the proposed changing and will develop a formal proposal to be voted on by the voting membership of the ACF Akron-Canton.

Section 2 A written notice shall be sent to all members of ACF‑XYZ not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days before the proposed amendments is to be voted.

Section 3 The proposed amendment requires a 2/3rd vote of the members present to pass.

Article XVI

Culinarians’ Code

I pledge my professional knowledge and skill to the advancement of our profession and to pass it on to those who are to follow.

I shall foster a spirit of courteous consideration and fraternal cooperation within our profession.

I shall place honor and the standing of our profession before personal advancement.

I shall not use unfair means to effect my professional advancement or to injure the chances of another colleague to secure and hold employment.

I shall be fair, courteous and considerate in my dealings with fellow colleagues.

I shall conduct any necessary comment on, or criticism of, the work of a fellow colleague with careful regard of the good name and dignity of the culinary profession, and will scrupulously refrain from criticism to gain personal advantage.

I shall never expect anyone to subject themselves to risks which I would not be willing to assume myself.

I shall help to protect all members against one another from within our profession.

I shall be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

I shall be too big for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit pressure of business to hurt anyone, within or without the profession.