Photo on stage at the 2000 Olympics in Erfurt, Germany receiving the world championship honors. They were playing the national anthem and our US Flag was being raised to the ceiling of the ceremony hall. |
| Certified ProChef III |
| Certified MC5 |
| Certified ACF CEC |
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| Military Master Chef Travis Smith |
| Military Master Chef Prerequisites - MC5 The best of the best and few and far between, Military Master Chefs possess the highest degree of military and civilian food service knowledge. They excel in all aspects of the business and culinary side of foodservice. They have proven themselves through culinary competition success, as executive chefs through the ACF certification process, civilian college education, military advancement, leadership and food service management experience. During their time in service to the country, Military Master Chef’s have conquered every aspect of military food service and have brilliantly set themselves up for success in retirement. E-7 or above in military food service ACF Certified Executive Chef (CEC) or above Hold a Bachelors Degree or other Major Achievement Accomplished Advanced Culinary Achievement Through Training, Culinary Degree or Competition Success. Acted as Captain or Manager of an ACF Culinary Team or Equivalent Package Reviewed and Recommended by Military Chefs.com |
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Travis W. Smith, CEC, CCA, AAC Chief Warrant Officer Four - CW4 (Retired) Chef Travis Smith started CuisineSmith LLC, www.cuisinesmith.com a food service consulting and culinary training business. He offers culinary training, table display and design, as well as consulting, merchandising, marketing, and culinary services for food manufacturers interested in doing business with the military. He is a 20-year Army veteran who served in senior level staff roles as the Command Food Advisor to the 1st Infantry Division, the 19th Sustainment Command in South Korea; the 10th Mountain Division in NY, and the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. He also served as the Chief of Culinary Skills Training for the US Army School of Catering and led the Army Team to win the 2000 Culinary Olympic Triple Gold Medal and World Championship among 14 national military teams. He has prepared special dinners for the highest ranking generals and leaders in the military and led culinary teams in the preparation of many state dinners with U.S. and foreign national dignitaries. Smith has accrued over 30 Gold and Silver International Culinary Medals from the US, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and South Korea and as an expert trainer of culinarians he has led the charge to 11 Championships in National and International Culinary Team Competition including the Culinary World Cup and The Culinary Olympics. He is a Three-time Culinary Olympian. Smith has accrued 7 Best in Show Culinary Awards including the prestigious 1995 U.S. Army Chef of the Year; the 2002 U.S. National Soup and Sauce Championship which featured his signature recipe “Fire Roasted Red Pepper Soup;” the 2005 National Military Chef of the Year; and in 2010 he won the Colorado Chef of the Year award. He was the first to receive certification as Military Master Chef in 2009. Chef Travis Smith is a Fellow of the American Academy of Chefs which is the honor society of chefs in the United States. He’s a published author with multiple television appearances including Food Network, Emeril Live, NBC TODAY Show with Katie Courick, Al Roker, and Matt Lauer, CBS This Morning with Harry Smith, and was featured on PBS. He is a professionally involved industry leader serving as an American Culinary Federation (ACF) Approved Culinary Judge and member of the national ACF Culinary Certification Commission. He is a Certified Culinary Administrator and Certified Executive Chef with The American Culinary Federation and he was awarded Pro Chef Level II and level III Certification from the Culinary Institute of America after extensive testing on culinary management, wines, garde manger, healthy cooking, and global cuisines of the Mediterranean, Latin America, and Asia. He is a product of the Career Technology Center System and graduated from Warren Occupational Training Center in Golden CO in 1985 under instruction of Culinary Institute of America Alumni. He completed the American Culinary Federation apprenticeship training program at the top of his class in 1989. Smith is National Restaurant Association Serve Safe Qualified and an Approved Candidate for the Certified Master Chef Certification. He has trained under more than a dozen Certified Master Chefs and pastry chefs including chefs running the kitchens at the Cherokee Town and Country Club, Houston Country Club, Westchester Country Club, The Chevy Chase Country Club, The Greenbrier Hotel, The Culinary Institute of America, and Schoolcraft College. If certified at this level he will be one of only about 70 Certified Master Chefs in the United States. Chef Travis has worked in fine dining restaurants, country clubs, and hotels across the nation including a “stage” in the pastry kitchen of the Hilton Hawaiian Village; Chef de Cuisine of the Proud Peacock Restaurant in Waimea Falls, Hawaii; Chef de Cuisine of the Jacques Cartier French Restaurant at the quaint River Edge Resort Hotel in Alexandria Bay, NY; and Executive Chef of the Boutique Bed and Breakfast, Chester Plantation in Petersburg, VA. He served his American Culinary Federation Apprenticeship in Colorado at the Radisson and Sheraton hotels and has his early beginnings in the food and beverage departments at Pinehurst Country Club, McCarty’s Restaurant, Simms Landing, and the well-known Briarwood Inn. He served as Director of Culinary Operations for Francis Tuttle Technology Center from 2009-2010 and then relocated to Breckenridge Colorado as the Executive Chef of Mountain Dining for the resort as well Chef of One Ski Hill Place, a luxury Rock Resort Condominium at the base of the mountain. He consults for food manufacturers providing meals for the U.S. military and caters for high end customers in the Colorado Rockies. He is an excellent ice sculptor, having trained with the best ice carvers in Colorado. His cuisine is eclectic, utilizing the best of sustainable and local ingredients, modern and international techniques, and a combination of earthy and vibrant flavors, textures, and temperatures. He incorporates a modern style to classical French preparation and is passionate about Mediterranean, Asian, and Latin American cuisine. His repertoire includes a wide variety of options from Classical French 12-course dinner service to intimate meals for two and everything in between. His menus range from in-room dining and special guest amenities to grill, bistro, healthy options, kid- friendly, banquets, and white tablecloth fine dining for boutique, middle market, casual, and quick service venues. He volunteers with the Domus Pacis Family Respite in Breckenridge Colorado to help raise awareness and funding for families who have a member stricken with terminal cancer. He has hosted Korean exchange students at his home as a member of the Korean-American Good Neighbor Program. He is the father of two girls, Rachel 26, and Emily 16, and the husband of Un Smith. |