A-B Tech Culinary Team Wins Southeast Regional, Earns Spot at Nationals

Martin Deyman captained a five-person A-B Tech culinary team to first place in the Student Team of the Year category at the American Culinary Federation's 2026 Southeast Regional competition, earning the Asheville program an automatic berth at ACF Nationals in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Deyman was joined by teammates Rowan Armstrong, Kat Douvres, Kiah Jackson and Joshua Jimison, all students at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Chef Instructors Michelle Bailey and Stephen Hertz, CEC, coached the squad through hundreds of hours of preparation that coaches say translate directly into career credentials for students entering Buncombe County's restaurant, hotel and catering workforce.

The regional win comes two years after A-B Tech claimed the ACF national title in 2024, a victory the program also achieved in 2007. Culinary Chair Cathy Horton framed the result as confirmation of a culture of excellence that has made the program a consistent supplier of skilled kitchen talent across Western North Carolina.

Also at the Southeast Regional, A-B Tech student Ezrah Hanson won a gold medal in the individual Student Chef category and ranked among the top national scorers in that discipline, giving the college two headline results from a single competition.

A-B Tech President John Gossett said he was "proud of our program and students for their extraordinary performance." Beyond the medal, the competition circuit functions as a visible credentialing path: students who place at the regional and national level return to the workforce with elevated hiring prospects and industry recognition that employers across Buncombe County's hospitality sector actively seek.

The team will train through the summer before competing at ACF Nationals, scheduled June 28 through July 2 in Grand Rapids. A program that has already won two national titles is the team Buncombe's restaurants, hotels and catering firms will be watching when Michigan results come in.