YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea -- At an Army airstrip on the eastern edge of Seoul is a dining facility that serves the aviators and support crews of the small base that is known as K-16. It is here that culinary specialists stationed with different units throughout Korea practice for an upcoming battle in the United States in March.
Leading this group of young Soldiers, many of whom have been in the Army for less than 18 months, is Staff Sgt. David M. Allen, a certified chef assigned to 68th Medical Brigade at Camp Walker who is a six-time veteran of the Military Culinary Arts Competitive Training Event. The event is a competition held annually at Fort Lee that pits the best military food specialists against each other.
Allen's goal since the group assembled for the first time on Jan. 7 is to hone his Soldiers' skills. He does this with a sharp eye and a focus that could be described as obsessive.
"So far, the training here has been intense," said Allen. "We're looking for some big things from this team."
Providing challenging training for those in his charge is necessary because the competition is fast paced, said Allen. Strong leadership, Allen added, is the thing that will help his team be successful at the competition.
"It's an intense atmosphere, a lot of cameras and people," said Allen.
The competition is open to military culinary teams from around the world. Allen said teams from Germany, Columbia and France participated in the event last year. He describes these teams as "super experienced," thus requiring him and his teammates to diligently train.
One of the Soldiers mentored by Allen is Pvt. Katerra Bell, a chef's apprentice assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 302nd Brigade Support Battalion at Camp Casey. Bell said she's learning a lot by working with Allen and other culinary specialists, especially how to use a knife.
Among the more challenging tasks Bell says she's worked on is learning how to tournée, pronounced tor-nay, a potato. The technique is a French method designed to enhance meal presentations that results in cut that is seven-sided and generally shaped like an American football.
"They have to be perfect, the same size, the same shape," said Bell. "I have to prepare about eight of them within 10 minutes." This requires Bell to be quick and accurate in her carving skills.
In addition to working on skills in the kitchen, Bell and her teammates from around the peninsula study recipe cards and culinary techniques nightly. This consistent interaction has helped the group develop into a cohesive team. It also helps Bell move closer to attaining personal goals.
"My goal is to become a certified chef," said Bell. "I also want to share the knowledge that I'm learning here with my peers back at the (dining facility) that I work at. I think being here gets me closer to this."
According to Army Quartermaster branch website, "the Military Culinary Arts Competitive Training Event promotes growth in the culinary profession.
The competition evaluates individual and team efforts and recognizes excellence with certificates, medals, trophies and education credits that may be used for credentialing, according to the Quartermaster branch website. The competition is the largest of its type in North America and has been conducted annually since 1973, except for 1991 and 2003 when Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom began.
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