FORT LEE, Va. (Army News Service) -- Seared veal loin and beef tenderloin were among the many gourmet dishes on display to be tasted and judged at the 42nd annual Military Culinary Arts Competitive Training Event at Fort Lee, Virginia, March 3 to 9.
Military chefs from installations worldwide traveled here for one of the largest culinary competitions in North America, both in number of competitors and in number of events, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 J.D. Ward. He is the Advanced Culinary Training Division manager, Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, Fort Lee, who is managing this year's competition.
This year's event includes 240 competitors on 25 teams from all branches of the armed forces, including international military teams from France, Germany and Great Britain.
Teams that competed for the Culinary Team of the Year rotated through a series of six different events, one per day, including the Armed Forces Chef of the Year competition. The teams competed in Mystery Baskets, Cold Food Table Displays, Military Hot Food Kitchen, Student Skills, Student Chef of the Year, Hot Food Nutritional Challenge, and Live Individual Cooking, J.D. Ward said.
In the Military Hot Food Kitchen Challenge, visitors were allowed to sample gourmet meals prepared throughout the competition.
The winner in the Student Chef of the Year event will go on to compare skills against regional winners at the American Culinary Federation competition in July, with the possibility of representing the United States at a 2018 international event in Switzerland.
"Coordinating and organizing the event is a huge undertaking," J.D. Ward said. "Not only does it involve accommodating the many participants, judges and other personnel, but ensuring that each competitor and team have the food items they need to compete."
TWO WARDS
Helping J.D. Ward to manage the competition is active-duty Army Sgt. 1st Class Andre Ward, who serves as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Advanced Culinary Training Division of the Joint Culinary Training Center at Fort Lee.
Andre Ward is up to the job. His culinary education includes courses from Stratford University in Alexandria, Virginia, and from Woosung Culinary College, Korea. He is an American Culinary Confederation or ACF certified executive chef as well as an ACF certified working pastry chef.
He competed in the 2005 Culinary Arts Competition on Team Korea and won. "After winning that year, I was hooked," he said.
"I have had the privilege in serving with some of the best military chefs anyone could ask for," he said. "Most of my culinary skills came from the big heavy hitters in the Army food service chef field."
FIRST-TIME COMPETITOR
First-time contestant and Brooklyn, New York native Pfc. Justin Cotto is assigned as a pastry chef on the Fort Bragg team. For the dessert competition, Cotto prepared a tart.
"My tart is made of soft dough, a little vanilla bean that is called pâte sucrée," Cotto said. "The dough will be at the bottom, and praline -- which consists of almond paste, milk chocolate, butter, and saltine crackers -- will go on top of the dough. Included is a chocolate ganache filling made with chocolate, heavy cream, butter, glucose and chocolate dentelle."
Cotto encourages all chefs to consider entering the event to see what they can do. "It will be amazing," Cotto said. "This event will show you what the Army cooks have to offer besides working in the dining facilities."
He said that great leadership means being able to do what you ask others to do, to practice what you preach.
"I believe that being an Army cook is a great career choice," Cotto said. "I would love to be an Army sergeant major someday and eventually open a high-end restaurant."
VETERAN COMPETITOR
Staff Sgt. David Allen serves with the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he manages culinary training for more than 100 culinary specialists in his dining facility.
Allen has entered the competition for nine years in a row. His entry in this year's Chef of the Year competition is an entrée of filet mignon, with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables with a mushroom ragu.
"I enjoy the training, competitive environment and relish meeting chefs from around the world," Allen said. "I want to be a part of the winning team this year and validate all the training and hard work that we put in daily in our profession."
Allen said those who are interested in competing must have a true passion for cooking. He believes that constant learning and training are the cornerstones to build on for a solid foundation in the culinary arts.
His culinary education includes both civilian and military training. He's a certified chef de cuisine with the American Culinary Federation. He has worked in food preparation and management in private dining clubs, golf courses, in catering and in restaurants.
Allen participated in several events at this year's competition. One was a five-person field feeding event in which he prepared a three-course meal for 50 people.
He believes the Army food service program embodies all of the Army values. "It's our daily guide to execute our duties to the fullest," he said.
Allen's advice to anyone considering entering the culinary competition is to "stay motivated, study, research, train, train and train some more."
Allen's hometown is Pontiac, Michigan. Growing up with his eight sisters and five brothers, he learned how to cook and work hard, he said. His father was an Army chef and instilled in him a passion to learn more about the culinary arts.
The camaraderie, spirit and competitiveness of the culinary competition makes it a unique military training opportunity in the Department of Defense, J.D. Ward said.
"The event supports the Army's Soldier for Life program," added Lt. Col. Damon "Scott" Varnado, director, Joint Culinary Center of Excellence. He explained that it motivates Soldiers toward a lifelong zeal in their profession.
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