Photo By Spc. Alisha Hauk | A miniature, hand-made chocolate statue of Ray Charles sits on display at the Fort...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas -- The III Armored Corps and Fort Hood Culinary Arts Team put on a show for the Fort Hood community, Feb. 17, when they presented a table of artistic confections that almost looked too good to eat to more than 30 fortunate Fort Hood soldiers, family members and civilians.
“Today we’re doing our final presentation for the community of the actual table that’s going to be at the competition,” said Master Sgt. Anthony Roscoe, the III Corps and Fort Hood Culinary Arts Team manager.
The III Corps and Fort Hood Culinary Arts Team, led by Roscoe, will be competing in the 36th Annual All Army Culinary Arts Competition held at Fort Lee, Va., starting Feb. 26.
“For the last two years, we were told to get a team together of 19 individuals and train them throughout the year,” Roscoe said. “Not only do we train for culinary arts, we go out and do local competitions as well. We also do local demos and we have a partnership with Fort Hood Hospitality through Central Texas College.”
This, said Roscoe, is not only part of the team’s effort to give back to the patrons who support them throughout the community, but it aids in honing the skills of the team members, as well. With over 250 participants from across 26 installations and all branches of service competing in the culinary arts competition annually, the opportunities to train his team are valuable, he said.
Making the team, however, can be a grueling process, as the 19 team members will be only the best on Fort Hood and every year, a competition is held to determine who these talented individuals are.
“Every year we basically do try-outs around the time-frame of June or July,” Roscoe said.
The try-outs last for three days and cover everything from a written test to handing the participants a batch of random ingredients and asking them to make a recipe with them.
Only six of the team members from last year’s culinary arts team were retained for this year, said Roscoe, including the pastry chef, who was asked to make the most difficult cake she has ever completed for this year’s competition at Fort Lee -- an upside-down wedding cake.
“This is the hardest cake I’ve ever done in my career -- and I’ve done a lot of wedding cakes in my career,” said Sgt. Rose Picard, the team’s pastry chef. “We’ve had some bumps in the road, but that’s all part of doing a show like this.”
The cake, which was decorated with music notes and lines from songs, was topped with an edible piano overflowing with roses -- and all of it was made by hand, Picard said.
The team’s theme this year is classical music.
“Music is an international language that we just wanted to share,” Roscoe said.
To mention a few of the team’s culinary confections, the table display also included impressively detailed miniature chocolate pianos, bite-sized wedding cakes shaped like wedding dresses and a five-foot statue of the classical composer Beethoven -- made almost entirely from chocolate.
“What we try to do with our food is make our food art,” Roscoe said. “The same thing you would see in a five-star restaurant, you will see on our table.”
Roscoe also said he has the utmost confidence in his team of talented culinary arts professionals, who have even gone so far as to draw the attentions of the Pentagon and the Food Network.
“The drill sergeant at the Pentagon sent us an invite do to five 30-minute episodes of a T.V. show for Food Network in Atlantic City,” Roscoe said.
The III Corps and Fort Hood Culinary Arts Team won Best in Show last year with their Armed Services theme last year. With all the positive feedback, talented team members and the amazing table display, Roscoe is confident his team will go much further this year.
“We’re going to win installation of the year -- hands down,” he said. “The only way we’ll lose it is if we give it away.”
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2011 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 66288 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 242 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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