FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Aromas of chicken, shrimp and salmon wafted through the aisles of the Fort Campbell Commissary as 12 Soldiers squared off in a culinary battle of wills and skills, Aug. 25.
The troops strived to create a healthful dish to enter in the inaugural Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers Healthy Food Cook-Off.
"The Sergeant Major of the Army [Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey] wants to see the Army get toward a healthier lifestyle, healthier eating," said BOSS secretary Spc. Alison M. Abey, about the basis for the life skills event.
The cook-off supported the Performance Triad, which is the Army's comprehensive plan to improve the overall health readiness and wellness of the total Army by promoting quality sleep, an active lifestyle and good nutrition.
Three cook-off competitions were held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the commissary. About 45 Soldiers -- 15 per day -- volunteered for the cook-off. Each day, the top three teams were honored with first, second and third place awards.
"These are all single Soldiers and they're all from the same units competing for trophies," Abey said.
On Tuesday, four teams competed for bragging rights as the cook-off winners.
Specialist Tiffany Juneau, Pfc. Jeremy Drumgoole and Sgt. John Wilson, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, competed as Team 1.
Team 2 was Spc. Aramis Henry, Pfc. Byron Singleton and Pfc. Jacob Ramos, all of Fort Campbell Dental Activity.
Specialist Floyd Sirovy, Spc. Muyideen Olowu and Spc. Skylar Bartz, also of 2-44th ADA, formed Team 3.
Specialist Jasmine Geiren-Amos, Pfc. Jamon Brown-Robinson and Pfc. Raymond De La Cruz, 74th Transportation Company, 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde., comprised Team 4.
As part of the contest, teams first studied food safety, nutrition and food preparation during a series of briefs presented by post dietitians, food handlers and preventative medicine specialists. Competitors learned about healthier alternatives for some of their ingredients, as well as how to handle food properly during the contest.
Then, at mid-morning, the teams reported to their stations comprised of several rectangular tables forming a C in the Produce section of the commissary. Each table included pots, pans, hot plates, cutlery and serving utensils, cutting boards and basins of fresh water for cleaning of food and dishes.
Sergeant Guy Reeve, BOSS president, briefed the teams on the competition rules and guidelines. Each team would be judged on taste, presentation, knowledge, cleanliness and safety.
Teams were required to create a dish that followed the federal government's MyPlate initiative. Each entry had to include the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet -- vegetables, fruits, dairy, protein and grains.
Teams developed recipes, made a grocery list and had 25 minutes to shop for their ingredients throughout the Commissary. The BOSS program paid for the transactions.
With ingredients purchased, the Soldiers were given 40 minutes to cook their healthy meals.
Wearing latex gloves, the Soldiers sliced, diced and cubed fresh chicken breasts, asparagus, green peppers and strawberries, among other ingredients for their dishes.
As the Soldiers cooked, the six judges walked around, observing the progress and documenting that the teams were using the safety guidelines for food preparation learned earlier in the day. Judges also assessed the ingredients being used, noting if they were low sodium, low fat, high protein and high fiber.
Judges for the event included three military retirees -- Jerome I. Thomas, Michael Charles and Richard Morris, and three active duty Soldiers -- 1st Lt. Latoya Clark, Staff Sgt. Justin Langston and Master Sgt. Irwin Guzman.
With a 10-minute warning given to stop cooking, teams started plating their dishes, taking care to make an appetizing presentation for the judges.
"Having each component of the My Plate is one thing I'm looking for -- in addition to if they choose a pasta, they find something with a higher fiber content or whole grain," said Clark, chief of the Clinical Dietetics branch of the Nutrition Care Division, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital.
Team 1 presented a dish of chicken with sriracha and soy sauce, blanched asparagus and a Greek yogurt pie with fruit.
Two judges commented on the first entry with praises and criticisms.
"Nicely put together. Beautiful presentation. I liked the idea of the homemade sauce," Clark said.
"Your dessert, I kind of liked it," Morris added. "Your chicken was cooked more on the outside than the inside."
Team 2 prepared a plate of salmon with mango peach salsa, shrimp fried brown rice with egg whites and a salad with shrimp, baby spinach, feta cheese and Italian dressing.
"The meal was overall good, but just a little too much sodium," Thomas noted.
Team 3 presented a plate of chicken with brown rice and fresh vegetables.
Guzman gave their dish a thumbs-up along with them some advice on teamwork.
"You guys need to work a little bit more on your tactics," he said. "I'm proud of you guys for being here in this competition."
Team 4's Geiren-Amos explained their cooking process. "We sautéed the vegetables and the shrimp and incorporated it into the sauce and served it over the brown rice and steamed some broccoli," she said.
"I like the seasoning, it was just a little bit spicy," Langston said, reviewing Team 4's meal. "Overall, you did a good job."
About 10 minutes passed as the judges' scores were tallied. When the results were announced, Team 4 won top honors. Team 1 placed second. Team 2 finished third.
Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel A. Espinosa Jr., Garrison command sergeant major, thanked the troops for their participation and presented the top three teams with trophies.
"I'm glad the units are able to support us to do these competitions. We want to make this the best Soldier and Family experience on Fort Campbell," Espinosa said. "And this is part of it."
Geiren-Amos said Team 4 was confident in their chances to win.
"We already knew we won when we saw the judges shaking their heads when they were eating," said Geiren-Amos, who had participated in culinary arts programs in high school before joining the Army. "Our team came to this game and we didn't have a recipe. We actually made it up at the last minute and it actually worked for us. We decided to make a homemade sauce instead of using one out of a jar or a can."
Team 4 agreed the key to victory was teamwork and effective communication.
"We came to play and we came to win," Geiren-Amos said. "We had our rendezvous with destiny here."
Participants received a 16-piece dishware set and a 10-piece set of pots and pans to encourage the Soldiers to continue their quest for healthy nutrition and food preparation at home.
"They can also continue this education that they are receiving with the dietitian and the food handlers to really know what to do when this day is over," Abey said. "We're giving them cookware sets, pots and pans … so they can continue to cook and continue to learn and continue to strive to be better."
Clark said she hopes that more cook-off competitions will be held in the future to further promote the Army's Performance Triad and MyPlate initiatives.
"I think it's great," she said. "It just allows other people to see that these are some of the things we are doing to educate about health on our installation."
COOK-OFF winners
The winners in the inaugural Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers Healthy Food Cook-Off were:
•Day 1: 1st place -- Spc. Sierra Curry, Spc. Jamal Evans; Sgt. Nicolas Santos
2nd place -- Spc. Seann Mcintosh, Sgt. Arielle Cushionberry, Spc. Otis Hatcherson
3rd place -- Pfc. Amanda Silila, Spc. Adriana Vargas-Bravo, Spc. Jordan Anderson
•Day 2: 1st place -- Spc. Jasmine Geiren-Amos, Pfc. Jamon Brown-Robinson and Pfc. Raymond De La Cruz
2nd place -- Spc. Tiffany Juneau, Pfc. Jeremy Drumgoole and Sgt. John Wilson
3rd place -- Spc. Aramis Henry, Pfc. Byron Singleton and Pfc. Jacob Ramos
•Day 3: 1st place -- Staff Sgt. Cedrick Herron, Spc. Sebrevia Osbourne, Spc. Kimberly Dominquez
2nd place -- Spc. Samantha Lapre, Spc. Sandra Ewing, Spc. Vikki Mays
3rd place -- Pvt. 2 Saevon Hadson, Pfc. Alex Lang, Spc. Anthony Amonou
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