BUFFALO, N.Y. (August 25, 2008) - The Ahwahnee Chef de Cuisine Ambarish Lulay earned a silver medal at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Convention in Las Vegas last month, the first U.S. competition the Indian-born Lulay has ever participated in.

Lulay attended the conference with four other Delaware North chefs as part of their training for the 2008 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, this October. Lulay's menu is Asian-themed, featuring such items as Peking-Style Duck Galantine and Tandoori- Spiced Chicken Terrine.

Lulay and the other Delaware North chefs have been traveling to Buffalo, N.Y., once a month to prepare for the Olympics. Delaware North Corporate Chef and Chief Culinary Ambassador Roland Henin, CMC, is the group's coach.

"I'm very proud of Chef Ambarish and his achievement at the convention," said Henin. "It takes an incredible amount of work and dedication to excel at such notable culinary competitions. Hopefully he'll have an even better performance at the Olympics in October."

The group will have two more training sessions prior to the Culinary Olympics. While Lulay is proud of his accomplishment, he looks forward to the opportunity to fine-tune his menu.

"There's no doubt I am proud of winning a silver medal, but I know I can perform at an even higher level," Lulay said. "That's what this entire experience is about: challenging ourselves to become better chefs every day. It's the driving force behind Delaware North culinary efforts around the world."

Joining Lulay and Henin in Germany will be Delaware North Companies Sportservice Corporate Chef Rolf Baumann, TD Banknorth Garden Executive Chef Kevin Doherty, Hamburg Fairgrounds Executive Chef Scott Green and HSBC Arena Executive Chef Tab Daulton. The chefs will compete individually in the cold platter category at the Culinary Olympics.

For over 20 years, the Culinary Olympics has attracted the world's most talented chefs and confectioners to its celebrated German exhibition. All participants share the same goal?to be crowned the world champion in the culinary arts. The event, hosted by the German Chefs Association, has demanding entry requirements, and only a select few can be admitted into the competition.