FORT RILEY, Kan. -- There are no more cooks in the Army. The career field has undergone a makeover in the past year. That makeover included a name change from food service to culinary specialist. It now includes opportunities for civilian certification for those who want to be executive chefs, sous chefs or any of several other culinary career options. Those changes are also visible. Army culinarians at Fort Riley were issued a new uniform the first week of February that includes black pants and the traditional white chef coat.
According to Warrant Officer Edmond M. Perez Jr., command food advisor for the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, the timing of these efforts meets the generation doing the work in a way they understand.
"I think with the newer generation for Soldiers, the younger Soldier, they grew up with food network and the cooking channel," Perez said. "So they see chefs on TV and we're issuing them chef coats."
Perez explained the Soldiers realized they are important and the new uniform gives them a sense of pride. "… you know the Army runs on its stomach -- you can't do anything without food service."
The uniform is the first new kitchen uniform many of today's Army culinarians have seen.
"Back when I came in back in 1995, food service and medics -- we all had the same uniform," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Vincent Mosely, a brigade food technician with the 1st CAB, 1st Inf. Div. "We both were wearing whites. So the medics went away from that and have their own uniform, the cooks, we only had the cook whites still."
To Mosely, the uniform change translates to looking sharp and being proud of the work.
"So recently we went away from the name of just cooks or food service specialists to culinary specialists," Mosely said. "That instilled pride into the Soldiers and now you have to have the uniforms that fit that name."
For Perez, that pride goes deep.
"I'm a certified chef," Perez said. "So to me this uniform is personal. To me -- you know
I wasn't allowed to wear a chef coat until I became certified. Now they're just issuing them so to me this chef coat is a personal thing."
And certification is now within reach for every Army culinary specialist.
For Perez, it is more than a uniform, it's about professionalism in his chosen career. The chef coat, combined with a certification program provide a professional path for culinary Soldiers.
"The Army and the American Culinary Federation have partnered to do an accreditation program," said Perez. "So after two years they can test out of the program and become a certified culinarian or sous chef or whatever they want -- the Army will pay for their certification."
But even without taking a test, Soldiers from Army culinary careers will still be eligible for another certificate that proves their experience and will help them transition when they leave the Army and seek continued employment.
"They get a Dept. of Labor certificate after they work 4,000 hours, which we do pretty easily," Perez said. "After 4,000 hours they get a Dept. of Labor certificate and then they get a chance to test out of that program."
According to Perez, Soldiers who want a future in culinary arts can get a leg up through their Army experience.
"So, even if the Soldier is doing one term with the Army and they're a culinarian, they're not leaving here empty handed," Perez said. "They're leaving here with (chef) certification or with Dept. of Labor certification that makes them an experienced journeyman and they go into that next level of -- instead of the bottom level, they go into the next level of whatever they want in this career -- if it's food service."
As for the new uniform, the quartermaster laundry will provide cleaning service and place all the right creases in the sleeves and trousers. But Soldiers who were issued theirs Feb. 1 went the extra mile to wear them on the job the next day.
Sgt. Thomas Miller, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st CAB, 1st Inf. Div., ironed them himself to be ready to wear them in the kitchen of the Demon Diner.
"Feels nice, comfortable, easy to work with, looks very sharp, I enjoy it a lot," Miller, a native of McCook, Nebraska, said.
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