Courtesy Photo | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands native, Pfc. Kishon Ma¬dar, with the 2nd ID culinary team,...... read more read more
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Story by: Cpl. Tim Oberle
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — One of the most recent crazes in the world of television features amateur chefs competing against each other on reality cooking programs. In these shows, culinary experts can be found in digital kitchens from one end of the dial to another showcasing their talents.
All of this recent success for amateur chefs on reality TV has left many people wondering where the next great chef might be found. Surprisingly, the answer could be a military dining facility.
With the ability to sauté, grill and flambé some of the world’s finest cuisines, some food service specialists can prepare many of the same dishes made by the world’s best chefs on TV.
In response to the limited opportunities that military cooks have to display their talents in their normal jobs, the Department of Defense provides an annual outlet for them to showcase their creative delicacies.
At the 36th Annual Culinary Arts Competition held in Fort Lee, Va., U.S. Forces Korea will be represented by service members from all over the Korean Peninsula. But this year, two teams will leave the Land of the Morning Calm in hopes of gold at Fort Lee.
The 2nd Infantry Division team led by Florida native, Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Blanchette, was formed separately from the USFK team as a way to provide professional development specifically to the cooks who service Warrior Country dining facilities.
This year’s Morning Calm Team captain, Sgt. Jeffrey Mathews, a food service specialist from the 652nd Air Defense Artillery unit out of Suwon Air Base, thinks that many of his Morning Calm chefs have an excellent chance of bringing back some medals.
“Even though we got a late start, this team is really coming together, and I think a lot of these chefs stand a really good chance of winning,” said Mathews. “They have been preparing extremely hard to perfect their craft.”
“We’ll see,” chuckled Sgt. David Allen from Pontiac, Mich., the 2nd ID team captain. “We’re up against them for the whole competition and we have worked evenings, weekends, and holidays.”
During the week-long competition from March 3-10, the teams will compete against other service members from every branch of the military and all over the globe in team and individually categories.
“The mystery competition is pretty cool because you don’t know what ingredients you’ll have and you have to prepare a four-course meal with what you are given. It forces you to think creatively right there on the spot,” said Matthews.
For some of the younger chefs on the teams, this will be the first time for them in a competition of this magnitude.
“I am really excited to get the opportunity to compete,” said Hampton, Va. native, Pfc. Antonio Duran Christian, a first time competitor from the 1st Replacement Company out of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. “I haven’t decided what I am going to prepare yet, but I know that in order to win a medal I am going to have to come fully prepared. There are going to be a lot of good cooks there and I can’t afford to be afraid. You just need to be confident in the product that you make.”
Despite Christian’s reservations, he thinks winning shouldn’t be a problem for this year’s Morning Calm Team. The team has been preparing for months, and some of the more experienced chefs have shared their past experiences.
For Spc. Jarvis James Elliot, a silver medalist in last year’s competition from USAG Daegu, his past experience has not only been beneficial to him, but has also helped his team members.
“I have been describing to some of the new chefs about the conditions that they will face during the competition,” said Elliot, a Pueblo, Colo. native. “My first time at the competition, the noise levels and nervousness of not knowing what to expect really kept me from taking home the gold. This time around, I am competing for the junior chef of the year and I think my experience will really make a difference.”
‘I’m not nervous. We’ve prepared,” said Spc. Honey Sooalo from American Samoa, who plans to use the teamwork skills she’s learned during her training to help her be a better special education teacher when she leaves the Army.
Warrior Team members playfully caution the USFK team that they shouldn’t get their hopes up because the 2nd ID team has been practicing in realistic situations for months.
“We have the best instructor on the planet,” said Idaho native Spc. Aaron Pead about Blanchette.
Blanchette, who serves as the executive chef for the 2nd ID commanding general, has been training most of the team members since the summer.
“Seven days a week for at least the last six months, we’ve been preparing. The key to our success is to train as we compete,” he said.
“The rivalry between the two Korea teams helps keep morale up for my soldiers. It’s all in good fun,” said Blanchette. “But, I do think my chefs have worked harder than anyone else could imagine and they deserve to receive the accolades.”
(Editor’s note: Sfc. Michelle Johnson, 2nd ID Public Affairs, contributed to this article)
| Date Taken: | 02.10.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2011 22:59 |
| Story ID: | 65913 |
| Location: | CAMP HUMPHREYS, BUSAN GWANG'YEOGSI [PUSAN-KWANGYOKSHI], KR |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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