Aramark Culinary Excellence National Competition

The Aramark Culinary Excellence (ACE) Competition is a face-off amongst chefs, spotlighting our culinary talent across the company. Following American Culinary Federation (ACF) standards, this event supports our chefs' growth and development while showcasing their global culinary expertise.

The heat was on as our Aramark Workplace Experience Group’s top chefs battled their way through regional competitions, showcasing extraordinary talent and innovation in the kitchen. These culinary champions took their skills to the stove in the national competition over the weekend and displayed incredible passion and expertise.

Jimmy Waymire, Vice President of Culinary Strategy & Innovation, said, “The ACE Challenge is an opportunity to showcase our culinary culture as a core value of what we do and how we do it. These chefs represent the epitome of professionalism, talent, creativity and resilience. It was truly an honor to watch them execute their craft under such extreme pressure.”

After an exciting few days, we are thrilled to announce the winners of our National Competition. Congratulations to Chef Parker Kinsley (1^st place), Chef Paul Kostandin (2^nd Place), and Chef Matthew Garelick (3^rd Place).

Two-time champion, Chef Matthew Garelick described the event as, “Always a great experience. It is a high intensity competition and is so rewarding to get the opportunity to work alongside so many talented people.” When asked about the most exciting part of the competition, Chef Parker Kinsley, our first place winner, said while tough to pick, “spending time inside and outside this healthy competition setting with this specialized group of chefs and individuals from similar backgrounds is a very unique experience that is a lot of fun for everyone involved.”

This fall, our national winners will go head-to-head against Aramark’s top chefs to compete in our Enterprise Finals for the 2025 ACE Champions title.  This final round at Aramark headquarters in Philadelphia will be a true test of skill, innovation, and precision, where every dish counts. When asked how his culinary perspective has evolved throughout the competitions and what he plans to carry over to the enterprise competition, Chef Paul Kostandin said, “this competition has given me the opportunity to be open to different types of service and evolve from previous styles of cooking. More than anything, the amount of culinary talent at this company impresses me on a daily basis. I have had more conversations in this past year on food, philosophy, and approach to cooking than I’ve had in the last decade, and being at this company feels like I have finally come home.”

The ACE Competition fosters world-class talent, providing training and opportunity to our top-tier chefs, and bringing cutting-edge culinary expertise to their sites globally. Take a look into the culinary talent and competition here. Looking for this kind of culinary innovation to your amenity spaces? Contact us to learn more​.

A special thank you to all our dedicated chefs who competed: