President's Message Dec. 2025
- Epicurean Club of Boston
- Dec 1, 2025
- 3 min read
President’s Message — Dec. 1, 2025
Tim Foley, HAAC
President, ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
Dear Members,
Welcome to the holiday season. Yes, fast, exciting times with our families are here!
The Epicurean Club of Boston, the oldest chefs’ club in America, prides itself on providing support to our profession and our community. I believe it’s important for us to lead the way and support people in need. In the next couple of weeks, there will be opportunities to volunteer at a variety of events. We are always looking for help in a multitude of positions. Please don’t hesitate to get involved. Please reach out to Chef Jimmy DiMarzio, Chef John DiSessa, or myself to get involved. Thank you.
Last month we had a lot of great, exciting events that we’re very proud to share with you.
November Highlights
We had six chefs testing for their CEC & CCC, with all chefs passing! Our test session was held at Assabet Tri-County Vocational Tech High School. Thank you, Chef Jim Connoly and Chef Lou Trudeau, for coordinating this test session. Great job!
Our judges – Chef John Norton, Chef Joe Allison, Chef Tim Shutt, Chef Dave Bressler, Chef John DiSessa, and Chef Jimmy DiMarzio, timekeeper – thank you for assisting with this event.
November 2, 2025
The 131st Presidents Gala was hosted by Chef Jeremy DiStefano, Executive Chef at The Dedham Country & Polo Club. What a great event! Absolutely amazing dinner! Thank you, Chef and staff, for a great evening.
November 7, 2025
At Boston Children’s Hospital we swore in 30 new members to the Epicurean Club of Boston. This is an outstanding commitment for both the ECB as well as the ACF organizations. It’s an exciting time for all of us. Special thanks to Chef Kilduff, Chef Snopkowski, Chef DiFronzo, Chef Graffeo, and Chef LeBlanc, who all attended.
November 10, 2025
We held our Chefs for Vets, serving those who served our country. We were very happy to share our heartfelt thanks to the veterans and their families for their service. This was a new opportunity for us, and I am very proud of the incredible culinary night we prepared for them. It was received with outstanding raves and reviews!
I want to thank all the volunteers, the Natick Boy Scouts, the Les Dames d’Escoffier, and our members for their great showing of support and dedication for our successful dinner. A special thank you to Sharon DiFronzo for her beautiful performance of our National Anthem. To Chef Jimmy DiMarzio and Chef John DiSessa, exceptional job coordinating this event.
November 26, 2025
We participated in the preparation of feeding the unhoused residents of Lynn, MA at My Brother’s Table. This was our 8th year volunteering and preparing 110 turkeys with all the fixings for their Thanksgiving dinner. Our efforts were very much appreciated, and their heartfelt thanks were sent to all.
December Events & Holiday Giving
December 15, 2025
Our annual Toy Drive Dinner Meeting will take place at The Pearl Street Grill, 53 Summer St, Malden, MA, at 5:30 P.M.
Please join us for a great meal and social conversation. This year we’re adding a little twist to our holiday giving. After our visit to My Brother’s Table in Lynn, we learned of the overwhelming need of the unhoused to provide simple personal care items for themselves.
So, we thought we could help by donating toiletry kits, warm hats, scarves, and gloves. Please go to our website to donate to this effort and we will purchase the backpack personal care kits. Our goal is to provide 50 kits for those in need. If you would like to donate toys, we will happily donate them to our friends at Boston Children’s Hospital. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Thank You to Our Purveyors
To all our purveyors, thank you for your unwavering support of the Epicurean Club of Boston. We appreciate your dedication to our profession and ongoing encouragement to our young culinarians. As for our members, please remember and take care of our friends and supporters.
December Celebrations & Fun Facts
A few of December’s celebrations: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Boxing Day.
Best holiday foods to enjoy in December: roast beef, turkey, duck, ham, prime rib, seven fishes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mince pie, and gingerbread!
Save the Date
ACF National Convention 2026
June 28 – July 2, 2026
Grand Rapids, Michigan
SAVE THE DATE: Next year’s 2026 ACF National Convention, June 28 – July 2, will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Looking forward to seeing you there!
I’d like to wish you all a very happy holiday season full of family, fun times, and great food!
As always, remember, don’t sweat the small stuff. Be the chef you have always dreamed about.
— Sincerely,
Tim Foley, HAAC
774-270-4828
