Kim Dietrich, C.E.C., A.A.C.

Date of Birth: April 24, 1931

Place of Birth: Germany

Deceased: November 28, 2012

Joined RFEC: 1975 - Founder

RFEC Medallion Number: 2

More About Kim Dietrich

With the 2012 passing of Chef Kim Dietrich, Founder of the Resort Food Executives Committee (RFEC), chefs from around the country have shared their memories and thoughts on his influence on the resort culinary industry.

Although the 1974 meeting of five was the first official RFEC event, Kim Dietrich's vision for bringing together talented culinarians from the most prestigious resorts began years before. He pursued the idea and was able to bring that first meeting to fruition through his dedication and persistence. His original vision grew over the decades. He saw the meeting move from a handful of participants to the strong network of chefs it is today. That the RFEC is now the leading association of resort culinary professionals is a fitting legacy for Chef Dietrich.

• December 12, 1980 - A major attraction in the complex, The Salem Cotton Company, a restaurant, will occupy the central mill building. The restaurant will seat 250 and include five areas for elegant food and beverage service. The entry way, bar, and mezzanine will overlook one unique dining area - a former boiler room. The iron boiler facings will remain as a "sculptural element". Other dining areas include a glassed- in "greenhouse" (a former coal bin), an atrium, an open courtyard, and an intimate dining area with individual eating rooms. The developers have signed five-star chef John De Beus for the Salem Cotton Company. De Beus, a native of the Netherlands, is now executive chef at the Pinehurst Inc. resort in North Carolina. He has previously served as executive chef at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, The Cloisters Hotel at Sea Island, Ga., and the Polynesian Resort Hotel at Walt Disney World, Fla. De Beus describes the foods as "semi-continental and a cross-section of American and local fares."
  (Source: Excerpt From "The Salemite" - Newspaper of Salem College located in Winston-Salem, NC)