FORT SILL, Okla. Feb. 19, 2015 -- What is the proper age to groom a young, impressionable child into what he or she may blossom into as an adult? Is it best accomplished during the toddler years, adult lesson years, or even teenage years?
Is there even a magical age range, or does a combination of events in one's life over a relatively vast period of time better shape who we develop into being?
For example, a young 8-year-old boy discovered his future self while tasting some homemade food that his grandmother prepared for the family. His taste buds, coupled with curiosity, intrigued him enough to want to find out how to cook.
That little boy, grew up in his hometown of Wellington, Kan., and would soon work at the Wellington Steakhouse as a cook at the age of 16. As he entered adulthood, he decided to embark on journey of enlisting in the Army where he currently serves as a short-range air defense Soldier.
At an Army recruiter's office prior to enlisting, Spc. Brandon 'Mike' Castaneda got his first impression concerning the daily duties of a culinary Soldier, flipping hamburgers. It wasn't appeasing to him.
"I originally wanted to come into the Army as a cook," said Castaneda, who is assigned to the 75th Field Artillery Brigade here. "I missed out on doing some culinary arts competition, but everything worked out in the end."
Castaneda continued to sharpen his culinary skill set and has been cooking up a healthy resume while preparing to retire from the Army due to medical reasons.
With knife and spatula in hand, the aroma and taste of his brand of cooking has seeped from the kitchen and into the bellies of some leading names in the food industry across the nation.
One of Castaneda's noteworthy ventures was competing on the "All-Star Academy," a Food Network show premiering March 1. The show featured 10 of the best amateur cooks against each other for a $50,000 grand prize.
Currently, he is scheduled to cook for Aaron Franklin, whose barbecue establishment in Austin, Texas received a surprise visit by President Barrack Obama last summer.
Castaneda is not limited to cooking establishments as he is also slated to prepare food for Randy Couture, an actor and retired mixed martial arts champion.
Matt Parcher, a friend and traveling photographer of three years, said Castaneda's potential is unlimited.
"He's going all the way," said Parcher.
Castaneda said that while his grandmother's Hispanic style cooking played a big part in his development as a culinary artist, he has branched out and learned a variety of cooking styles.
During a recent pop-up restaurant event at the gluten-free Bakery Emporium in Lawton, Okla., he prepared a buttermilk biscuit with pork fat and plum jelly; caramelized onion macaroni and cheese with thyme Parmesan crumble; smoked meatloaf with a pea puree and tomato gravy; and brown butter vanilla bourbon cake with burnt sugar and strawberry coulis.
"The All Star Academy" will air March 1 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, and is hosted by Ted Allen with Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli, Curtis Stone and Michael Symon.
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