For immediate release: March 3, 2008

BLOOMSBURG — Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s executive chef William “Billy” Edmondson will compete for top culinary honors during the fifth annual Aramark Culinary Excellence (ACE) competition Wednesday, March 5, at 4:30 p.m. in BU’s Scranton Commons. The ACE competition honors outstanding Aramark chefs and provides them with the opportunity to share their culinary expertise with a broader audience.

Edmondson will compete against chefs from other Aramark-managed university dining accounts, including the University of Delaware, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, New York University and Georgetown University. Similar competitions will be held in eight regions of the United States and Canada, and the top three finalists from each of the eight regions will compete at the Aramark Culinary Excellence National Challenge during the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago.

The grand prize-winning team will receive a European culinary tour package courtesy of Aramark. Edmondson has more than 20 years of experience in the culinary field. He studied culinary arts at Hazleton Vocational School and earned an associate degree from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. He’s worked in French and Italian restaurants in southwest Florida and was an executive chef in New York City for 10 years before becoming executive chef at BU.

Six of the nine judges at BU’s ACE competition have a connection to the campus community. They are: Robbie Soltz, biologist and wife of BU’s new president, David L. Soltz; Ginny Herring, local teacher and wife of Preston Herring, BU’s vice president for university and student affairs; George Agbango, political science professor; Madelyn Rodriguez, director of the multicultural center; Edwin Valovage, assistant director of residence life; and Wayne Mohr, assistant vice president of technology.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.