Stewart WTB DFAC chefs: the 'burger kings'

By Randy Murray, Fort Stewart Public AffairsSeptember 2, 2009

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Warrior in Transition Battalion DFAC chefs Melvin Kelley (second from left), Melissa Sharp and Deanna Johnson, pose with Chef Mark Paolillo (far left) and Chef Preston Slayton, after winning an installation-wide best burger competition held at 2nd HB... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Garnished with onion rings, banana chips, parsley and a twist of lemon, the "Dog Face Delight" burger, prepared by the Warriors in Transition Battalion's dining facility, won 1st place in an installation-wide best burger competition held at 2nd HBCT'... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Master Sergeant Verna Bellamy, Troop Issue Subsistence Activity, and Chef Mark Paolillo, an executive chef from Atlanta, assist the Soldier-judges in scoring which of the six burgers is the best burger during an installation-wide best burger competit... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT STEWART, Ga. </B>-- It's little more than a flattened ball of ground beef cooked on a skillet or grill, but the humble hamburger is an American icon. That's because the diversity of items put on it - bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc. - make the hamburger uniquely American. And while it reflects the diversity of American society and its tastes, this simple sandwich has a way of bringing people together for something more American than baseball - mealtime.

Several dozen Soldiers gathered during the lunch hour at 2nd HBCT's dining facility, Aug. 26.

They joined 60 DFAC chefs from across the installation who were competing for a chance to prove they were Fort Stewart - Hunter Army Airfield's 'burger kings.' When the competition was over, the Warriors in Transition Battalion's DFAC took 1st place with their "Dog Face Delight" burger, a whopper of a sandwich, consisting of 1/3-pound of beef, bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and - get this - marinara sauce.

Fort Stewart's Youth Challenge Chef Preston Slayton started the judging part of the competition by explaining to the panel of judges, all of whom were Soldiers with no food service training, that the criteria for judging the best burger was on creativity, originality and, of course, taste. Master Sgt. Verna Bellamy, Troop Issue Subsistence Activity, then showed the judges how to score the burgers on the score sheets, reminding them they were selected as judges not because of their food service experience but because they know what they like to eat.

"The only thing the judges know about food is how to eat it," chuckled Cornelius Williams, Food Service Program Manager with the Directorate of Logistics. "We picked Soldiers to be the judges because Soldiers are our customers. They know what kind of burger they like, and the top burgers they pick will soon be served in all our dining facilities."

In all, six DFAC teams' burgers were judged, with five samples of their burger laid out on six tables, by number, along with side items like fries, onion rings and other garnishes. Williams said the numbering system ensured none of the judges could tell which burger was prepared by any particular DFAC. The best burger would be selected on its own merits, he said.

Special guest Chef Mark Paolillo, an executive chef from Atlanta, supervised both the competition and the judging. He complimented each of teams, telling Soldiers attending the competition that every one of the members of each team gave "250 percent." He said there were no losers in the competition because he had personally watched each team's burger being prepared and had tasted each burger. In fact, Paolillo said he had eaten over 40 hamburgers in the last two days.

He added that any one of the burgers being judged were better than any burger you could buy in any restaurant.

The winning team consisted of WTB DFAC's Deana Johnson, Melissa Sharp and Melvin Kelley. The 2nd place burger, called "726 Delight," was prepared by the Provider DFAC, and the 3rd place burger, called "Wonder Burger," was prepared by the Spartan DFAC.