Concordia College

Judges

Chef Joseph Decker C.M.P.C.

Joseph Decker C.M.P.C. currently teaches pastry arts to aspiring young chefs at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan and has been a member of the faculty of Schoolcraft College for 17 years. He was certified in 1993 by the American Culinary Federation as a Master Pastry Chef and ACF Approved Judge. He is also a member of the A.C.F. National Committee for Master Chef Certification.

Chef Decker has coached student culinary teams to 2 National Championships at the ACF National Conventions in Las Vegas and Washington D.C. in 2001 and 2003 respectively. In 1995 he earned a spot on the U.S. World Pastry Cup team at a national competition held at the Ritz-Carleton in Chicago, beating out 11 other pastry chefs from around the United States. The three member team traveled to Lyon, France where it competed against 18 other countries.  As a member of the 1995 U.S. World Pastry Team, he scored a third place honor at the World Pastry Cup Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie, the pastry equivalent of the Bocuse D’Or, marking the first time ever an American team had placed in the top three and taken the podium in this bi-annual world event.

Chef Decker has competed in Frankfurt, Germany and participated in the 1992 Culinary Olympics on the Michigan regional team.  There, the team earned gold and placed 6th in overall world/regional competition. He has competed at national competitions such as the Culinary Salon at Chicago NRA Show, taking 2 gold medals as well as many other regional and local events.  Before teaching, Chef Decker worked as Director of Research and Development at a large 50 million dollar a year bakery operation, where he received extensive training in bakery and food science.  Prior to that he worked under virtually all European chefs, as well as consulting bakeries and in-store operations.  He has been in the business for 35 years.

Ryan C. Schroeder Jr. C.E.C. is currently Chef and co-owner at Big Tomatoes with locations in Green Bay and Neenah. He is also an
adjunct Culinary Instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI.

Prior to starting the restaurant venture, he was Executive chef at the Heidel House Resort in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Previously he held a similar position at The Pines at Bristlecone located in Hartland, just outside of Milwaukee. He was the Opening Chef at Zydeco’s (a New Orleans style restaurant) in Greenfield, Restaurant Chef at The Country Inn Hotel and Conference Center and Sous Chef at Steven Wades Café and the Pfister Hotel.

Schroeder graduated with High Honors from the Culinary Institute of America, where he was the recipient of the Frances L. Roth award for Outstanding Performance at the Institute and is a winner of over 20 American Culinary Federation (A.C.F.) competition medals, eight being Gold with four Best of Shows. He was the 2002, 2004 and 2007 Winner of The Wisconsin Taste of Elegance Competition. He competed nationally in 2002 in Washington D.C. and 2004 in Des Moines, IA, and 2007 San Diego CA. He place second and won the Superior Chef award in 2004. In 2004 he competed and medaled in London at Hotelympia and competed in Germany at The International Culinary Olympics. He was awarded the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, Chef of the Year Award for 2005.

He is an official member of the A.C.F. for the last ten years; He is currently Chairman of the Board and Past President of the Fox Valley ACF Chapter, Past Vice President of the Milwaukee Chapter and also recipient of the ACF Fox Valley Chef of the year award for 2006.

Chef Albert I. M. Imming C.M.P.C. is originally from The Netherlands. He was educated in advanced Baking/Pastry and Confectionery trade schools in Amsterdam The Netherlands for eight years and the “Pedagogic Technische Hogeschool Nederland”with a Master in Confectionery/Pastry and Baking for Teaching.

Professional Career Highlights
* Joliet Junior College Culinary Arts Department Chef Professor.
* Chef Consultant.
* Certified Master Pastry Chef.
* Certified Culinary Educator
* Member of the American Culinary Federation.
* Member of the American Academy of Chefs
* Member ACF Louis Joliet Chapter Inc.(Founder 1994)
* President ACF Louis Joliet Chapter 1994-1998 and 2002-2004.
* Pastry Chef at the Abbey on the lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
* Owner/Manager, Stratford Bake Shop, Stratford, New Jersey.
* Pastry Chef Wilmington Country Club, Wilmington Delaware.
* Commissioner of ACFEI Accrediting Commission 1989-1990.
* ACF Louis Joliet Chapter Inc “Chef of the Year 1996/1997”.
* Joliet Junior College “Teacher of the Year 1996”.