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Air Force Master Sgt. Opal Poullard and Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Lewis' journey to becoming chefs at the top of their field was far different from the path most culinary stars take.
For these two recently crowned "Chopped" champions, it began while on deployment in Afghanistan.
Lewis, who served with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines on his first assignment as a food service specialist, said about once a week he would try to give his fellow Marines a break from the standard deployment fare.
"We would do steak and lobster and all kinds of cool stuff," he said. "And then the command, kind of seeing my passion for cooking and what I could do, offered to send me to ProChef Level 1 in New York to get my certification."
From there, Lewis said his career just began to blossom.
Poullard, who began her career as a security forces specialist, said her experience on deployment to a combat zone served as a reminder to make the most out of life and pursue her passion.
"I realized how important life his, how short it is, and how important it is to go after what you truly want," she said.
For her, that meant pursuing her long-held passion for cooking.
"I did law enforcement, combat, all those awesome things, but I love cooking," she said. "I've loved cooking since I was a very young child."
When she returned from deployment, Poullard said she applied to become an enlisted aide a career field that would give her access to world class culinary training and allow her to pursue her passion day-in and day-out.
Years later, Poullard and Lewis have reached culinary heights enviable by even the most seasoned chefs: a chance to prepare their signature dish in the White House Navy Mess.
The invitation came directly from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden after Poullard and Lewis were crowned as their services' top chefs on the Food Network's "Chopped" in May alongside Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Colvin and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Georges Labaki.
Poullard and Lewis spent the Friday leading up to the July 4 weekend at what is perhaps Washington's most prestigious restaurant tucked inside the White House, preparing a hand-crafted menu of osso bucco served over parmesan polenta inspired by Poullard's travels to Rome.
The menu also included Lewis' signature lemon-herb scallops served with wild mushroom parmesan and charred focaccia.
Despite serving at the pinnacle of their career fields in the military — Poullard is currently an instructor at the Defense Department's advanced culinary school at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, and Lewis has served as the executive chef to the Marine Corps commandant and to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump — they said the invitation from the first lady to share their talents at the White House was an honor they will never forget.
"It's such a privilege and an honor just to be in that room, to be invited in and just to cook for them," Poullard said. "I just wanted to cook at the White House at some point, and to be invited in as a guest chef was just so incredible. It is surreal."
In addition to Poullard and Lewis having the opportunity to cook in the Navy Mess, the president and first lady recognized them as special guests at the White House Independence Day celebration.
Much like Poullard and Lewis, Colvin and Labaki have embarked on incredible paths that have taken them to the heights of their career field.
Colvin joined the Army as a medic and deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne before later becoming an explosive ordinance disposal technician.
He discovered his passion for the culinary arts after discovering the joys of barbecue while stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, and later jumped at the opportunity to serve as an enlisted aide.
He said the path has given him opportunities he never would have dreamed possible.
"Being on "Chopped" and then winning, it's still surreal," he said. "I still can't believe it."
Labaki got his start as a culinary specialist on the USS Stockdale, where he also served as rescue swimmer. Eventually he was selected to serve in the Navy mess in the Pentagon through the Navy's executive services program. He later served as an enlisted aide to the Chief of Naval Operations.
The chefs all said it is an immense honor to be recognized by the president and first lady for their talents.
Colvin said he hopes his story can motivate others to serve.
"The biggest thing that I hope comes from this is to bring humanity to the uniform, to actually show that your stars aren't set and that you can be all you can or want to be," Colvin said.
Labaki also said he hopes he can pave the way for more people to be called to service.
"Service to me is an honor," he said. "We're not doing it for the money, we're doing it for the sacrifice for the people before us, the people that paved the way for us."
| Date Taken: | 07.05.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2023 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 448649 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON DC, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Hometown: | DAYTON, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | ENGLEWOOD, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Passion, Service Lead Military's Top Chefs to White House , by Joseph Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
