ERFURT, GERMANY (Oct. 22, 2008) Aca,!" After 24 hours of non-stop kitchen work during the Cold Food Display event at the World Culinary Olympics Oct. 22, the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team stews as they await the results.

Aca,!A"Even after being awake all night, itAca,!a,,cs hard to sleep because you want to know how your work paid off,Aca,!A? said Staff Sgt. Steven K. Broome, USACAT competitor.

The team earned gold a day earlier at the Hot Kitchen event, but as the second portion of the competition winds down, itAca,!a,,cs the team rather than the advisors feeling anxious about the scoring.

Aca,!A"IAca,!a,,cm ecstatic that everything came together so well. The table is very impressive,Aca,!A? said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Sparks, USACAT manager. Aca,!A"Without a doubt itAca,!a,,cs a gold medal table.Aca,!A?

In the cold food portion of the Culinary Olympics, USACAT must prepare, cook and preserve seven three-course meals for display under a unified theme in the Olympic exhibit hall. USACAT chose a Native American theme for the table, which provided them with multiple areas of the U.S. and a variety of foods to choose from in planning their menus. Nevertheless, it takes the full 24 hours to create perfection in all 21 dishes.

USACAT serves as the U.S. National Military Culinary Team and competes at local, national and international culinary competitions. By performing in competitions at this level, military chefs are given the opportunity to sharpen and broaden their cooking skills and compare their skills to civilian chefs. USACAT trains several times a year at the Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence at Fort Lee, Va., to create the best culinary masterpieces for competition.

Aca,!A"ThereAca,!a,,cs a saying Aca,!" bring home the bacon,Aca,!A? said Sparks. Aca,!A"I say forget the bacon, bring home the whole pig.Aca,!A?

USACAT still awaits the decision of the judges in the cold food competition. Will they bring home the gold or just the bacon'