R. Andrew Chlebana, II, (left)

R. Andrew Chlebana, II, executive pastry chef at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville, Ill., earned the Pastry Chef of the Year title during an American Culinary Federation (ACF) competition held recently in Las Vegas. This year's competition, sponsored by Splenda Foodservice, Fort Washington, Pa., drew chefs from across the country aspiring to win the prestigious award that recognizes those who have displayed a passion for the craft, earned an accomplished reputation in the pastry field and have helped educate others by sharing skills and knowledge.

Chlebana began his pastry career in 1996 at two of the industry's finest hotel chains, the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago and the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. and Amelia Island, Fla. He was then employed by Albert Uster Imports Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md., where he was the youngest pastry chef in the company's history.