Army Reserve culinary arts team gets its just desserts

"I never thought I'd get this level of training when I joined the Army," said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Vaughan, a cook for the Military Intelligence Reserve Command at Fort Belvoir, Va., while standing in a massive, well-lit kitchen/classroom, surrounded by all the latest culinary devices. "I just knew I'd be cooking."

The Alexandria, Va. resident and three other Soldiers from the Army Reserve Culinary Arts team were working in the kitchens at a Concord, North Carolina-based world-class culinary training facility focusing on desserts. CW2 Danny Wolf, food service officer for the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and coach of the culinary arts team, arranged the training as an opportunity to prepare the team for the upcoming Iron Chef competition this Fall and the Culinary Arts Competition this Spring.

"Other (Military Occupational Skills) don't really get to step outside the box and get this level of training in their field," Vaughan added. "This would be like a truck driver getting the opportunity to go to a NASCAR facility to learn how to drive a race car. We get to go to a place like this and do gourmet stuff that we never would have been exposed to if we hadn't joined the military."

Vaughan, with approximately a decade of service, appreciated the training, as did Pfc. Briesha Chanez, a cook for the 733rd Maintenance Company, 103rd ESC, a Canton, Ill.-based unit. Despite having only finished her initial entry training in November, 2015, Chanez recognized the opportunity. "I love cooking, but I never thought I'd be able to given the level of responsibility I get running the kitchen at my unit, let alone the chance to do this sort of training. It's a lot of new information; we never touched this sort of thing at (Advanced Individual Training). I loved it, it makes me appreciate the Army Reserve even more"

Beyond the personal training opportunity, and the impact it might potentially have on future competitions, the training session gave the team members new skills, and refined skills that will impact Army Reserve cooking at the unit level. Not only will they incorporate the skills into their own tool kit, but all members mentioned passing it along to other cooks within their command.

"I've been with the team since its inception," said Staff Sgt. Joseph Parker, 451st Quartermaster Company, 143rd ESC, an Orlando, Fla.-based unit. "We've never had this type of training at this level." Parker, a Tampa, Fla. resident who has crosstrained other units within his ESC already, is about to start warrant officer candidate school. He hopes that will bring even more opportunities to work with cooks throughout his ESC, as well help in his civilian position at Aramark dining where he works as the executive chef of culinary support and training. "Being able to make even just a basic chocolate mousse for the Soldiers who have spent all day out in the field instead of giving them some store-bought cookies can really impact morale," Parker said. "The quality of the food increases unit morale, which increases unit integrity."

That team mentality sets this class apart for one of the instructors. Chef Sean Pera. Pastry can be difficult for anyone to learn, but the Soldiers were doing well picking it up, and the skills they were learning could be transferable to many different aspects of cooking. "To me, the biggest aspect is organization," said Pera. "If you're not organized in life, it can become chaos. Everyone needs to be on the same page and a unit of one. It's a team atmosphere; everyone is not competing individually, they are competing together. If you are there when someone can't, or if they are in need of help, you are there to pick them up -- that's one thing that separates the Soldiers here today from some of our typical classes."

The teamwork is a great sign, as they are typically only able to come together days before a competition, whereas many of the active duty teams will work together every day, and will begin focusing on preparing for the culinary arts competition weeks or even months prior to the event. Winning competitions however, while nice, is not the focus. "We are focused on improving the level of food service in the Army Reserve," said Wolf. "These skills are transferable back to the units, and this is really a train the trainer type thing. They are learning how to work smarter. A good chef is like a chemist. They are starting to learn some combinations that they never thought would work together. Now they will be able to pull this knowledge out and enhance their menus, but still stay within the guidelines they are given. Having access to this sort of training -- it's above world-class, it's like universe-class -- keeps our skills up, and helps us keep great chefs in the Army Reserve."

Not that winning is not a goal. "My commanding general (Brig. Gen. Jonathan McColumn, 103rd ESC commander) always says to strive to be the best in a culture of professional excellence. This training let's us do that."