Photo By Sgt. Christine Hoskins | U.S. Army Soldiers from the Utah National Guard’s 1896th Quartermaster Platoon,...... read more read more
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SANDY, Utah – Utah National Guard Soldiers from the 1896th Quartermasters Platoon and students in the Culinary Arts program at Salt Lake Community College made new friendships and food as they participated in a Veterans Day Culinary Competition on Saturday, November 9th, 2024 at the SLCC campus in Sandy, Utah.
Each of the six teams consisted of four competitors, two SLCC Culinary Arts Students and two Soldiers from the 1896th. Each team was given a list of required and available ingredients, and 30 minutes of preparation time. They then had 90 minutes to prepare an appetizer, a side, and a main entree.
“We were given ingredients and told to just come up with some kind of meal and be creative together,” said Spc. Malia Nixon of the 1896th, “and that’s what we’re doing.”
The atmosphere was electric in the kitchen, and many competitors voiced their excitement.
Spc. Hayden Lecker of the 1896th said “I came in with high expectations and they’ve already been blown out of the water.”
“Everyone was really excited for this,” said SLCC culinary student Ellen Hammer.
Organizers and participants alike hope this becomes an annual event. Staff Sgt. Medel Pantaleon of the 1896th said he hopes to send different soldiers through the competition.
“This would be an awesome opportunity for future training,” said Pantaleon
Chef Jeffrey Coker, Associate Dean for the SLCC Culinary Institute said that he enjoyed seeing everybody work together in a positive and fun way.
“Hopefully we can generate a lot of promotion and do this again next year,” said Coker.
Competitors got to enjoy not only practicing their skills, but forming new friendships.
“I really enjoy the people they paired us up with, they’re really confident,” said Pantaleon.
Lt. Col. John Richardson, Commander of 97th Troop Command, talked about how each group used their unique strengths. “As these two teams participated and you saw them in that kitchen working together,” he said. “You saw skills that our military training gave to our cooks, side by side with real artists going to school here.”
The competitors' expertise was evident during the event. “They were both passionate about what they did and they both were teaching each other techniques,” said Richardson. “You could see their strengths as they went from what they do in the army and their passions to what they’re learning in this institute at Salt Lake Community College.”
It was no accident that the competition was held the Saturday before Veterans Day.
“I was surprised that there were so many veterans that are here at the institute going to school,” said Richardson, “you saw a bonding on many levels here because of that.”
“I think the big thing for us is that we remember that this is in recognition of Veteran’s Day, so that we can have an opportunity to thank those in our community that provide service to our country, especially those that are students of ours,” said Coker.
Capt. Matt Jensen, who helped organize the event, also mentioned how appropriate the timing of the competition was. “It was part of the fun just to make sure that Veterans are acknowledged, especially the ones that are here cooking with us,” he said.
As for the Soldiers of the 1896th, they were happy to hone their skills and be a part of community outreach.
Going into the event, Spc. Lesly Sanchez with the 1896th said she looked forward to seeing Soldiers and the community work together as one. “I think that’s going to be the best part,” she said.
Richardson said he hopes competitors came away with an appetite for improvement. He said that oftentimes high pressure situations can bring out competitors' strengths and weaknesses, which helps them grow.
Pantaleon said he was glad that the Soldiers had this experience. “A lot of the Soldiers here have really just done military cooking,” he said, “and so this is one of the greatest opportunities that we could’ve been a part of.”
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2024 09:46 |
| Story ID: | 485498 |
| Location: | SANDY, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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