IRON MOUNTAIN – Spiro Andreopoulos of Iron Mountain has met all of the requirements set forth by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) to become a certified executive chef (CEC) on July 9.

He can now place the letters CEC next to his name, and is one out of only seven CEC in the Upper Peninsula, according to an announcement by the Upper Michigan Chapter of the ACF.

“This was no easy journey, but very rewarding. Any CEC can tell you the letters are well earned.” Andreopoulos said.

The purpose of the CEC certification examination is to assess and objectively measure the knowledge and skills of a candidate to determine if they meet ACF standards. Andreopoulos was required to complete training in culinary nutrition, supervisory management, and food safety and sanitation.

He was also required to participate in a practical cooking evaluation at Madison Area Technical College-Wisconsin where he was observed and evaluated by four Approved Culinary Evaluators (ACE). This evaluation lasted three hours and Andreopoulos’ skills were graded in all areas including food safety and sanitation, menu development, cooking techniques, taste and presentation. He was also required to take a 100 question Certified Executive Chef examination. The Certified Executive Chef is the highest certification behind a Certified Master Chef.

“I was honored to have a Chef Sturzl mentor me,” he added.

Chef Christopher P. Sturzl, CEC, CCE, CSCE is the certification chair of the Upper Michigan Chapter who mentored and prepared Andreopoulos for six months for the testing.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Chef Spiro. He worked really hard on this and put forth an enormous amount of time and patience. I feel privileged to have worked with someone like him who understands the profession and the professionalism. He deserves this.” said Chef Sturzl.