Unilever chef receives honorary doctorate

Unilever Foodsolutions executive chef Steven Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, received an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, on May 23. Jilleba, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., is a 33-year foodservice industry veteran and one of only 61 Certified Master Chefs in the world.

Chef Steven Jilleba

Jilleba is a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), American Academy of Chefs (AAC) and World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS). He manages ACF Culinary Team USA for the 2009-2012 term. Among the awards he has received are: the AAC Chair’s Medal in 2008, the ACF Regional Chef of the Year in 2001, the ACF Regional Chef Professionalism Award in 2000 and the Herman Rusch Lifetime Achievement Award for the central region.

For the past three years, Jilleba has worked directly with the Culinary Institute of America on behalf of Unilever Foodsolutions to co-produce and host the Savoring The Best of World Flavors DVD series, which received the James Beard Foundation award for best Webcast in 2007 and 2009.