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PO John Forrest Backman grew up in Albuquerque New Mexico, born March 31 1981. After graduating high school PO Backman attended New Mexico State University. During college he found his calling as a short order cook at Benningans Grill and Tavern performing the duties of fry and broil cook. PO Backman Enlisted in the Coast Guard in July of 2003. Upon completion of Basic Training Petty Officer Backman attended Food Service Specialist “A” School in Petaluma California where he was awarded "Tall Hat" and Honor Graduate. Petty Officer Backman graduated “A” School in Dec of 2003. During the 45 day hold before moving to his next unit Petty Officer Backman served as the Upper Galley Graduate Jack of the Dust. In Feb 2004 Petty Officer Backman reported to the CGC Fir out of Astoria Oregon describing his cutter as a “beautiful blackhull”. Petty Officer Backman advanced to Food Service Specialist Third Class Sept 2004 and was advanced to Food Service Second Class October 2005. Petty Officer Backman has attended Nutrition and Wellness “C” School at TRACEN Petaluma, The Cutting Edge Food Service Expo at the Coast Guard Academy and will be attending the Advanced Culinary School at Johnson and Wales in Charlotte NC (Petty Officer Backman thanks his mentor Food Service Specialist First Class Stacey Russell for recommending he attend this class in her place). Petty Officer Backman took first place in the WCAC Chilli Cook Off in Everett Washington and also took first place at the Canadian Coast Guard Bouytender Roundup Chili Cook Off in Victoria Canada. While attached to the Fir Petty Officer Backman and his shipmates have earned the Coast Guard Team and Unit Meritorious Commendation Medals, and the Coast Guard E Ribbon. His personal awards include the Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Pistol Marksman Ribbon and Temporary Cuttermans Pin. Petty Officer Backmans collateral duties include Inport Duty Watchstander, Stretcher-Bearer, DC Plotter, and Departmental Damage Control Petty Officer. In the galley he has held duties as acting Food Service Officer, Jack of the Dust, and Duty Cook. Petty Officer Backman has a passion for beautiful garnishes, amazing specialty cakes and meals that the crew can enjoy from start to finish, everyday at every meal. Petty Officer Backman has been married to his beautiful wife Jaime Backman since October 7th 2005. Together they have a beautiful bay girl Emmie Backman. |
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=38946&TM=53241.18 Coast Guard chefs rescue crew appetites Ship cooks stir up variety to keep morale high while at sea By KARA HANSEN-The Daily Astorian John Forrest Backman sculpts penguins from eggplants, roses from tomatoes, ribbons out of leeks and watermelon-skin leaves. As a cook aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fir, Food Service Specialist 2nd Class Backman enjoys the freedom and creativity of his job, "the ability to put myself into a meal, to make what I want." "The possibilities," he said, "are endless." It's one of the most demanding jobs on board the ships, yet one of the most underrated. Taking a break when seasick isn't an option for the cooks, and they often cater parties or other events. They also contend with long hours, limited space, a crew's changing tastes and tumultuous weather. "The kitchen is the most dangerous place on the boat," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Dustin Bowlin, a food service specialist on the cutter Alert. Of hydraulics and gastronomics Astoria is home to three Coast Guard ships: the 210-foot medium endurance cutters Alert and Steadfast, and the 225-foot buoytender Fir. Each regularly travels the Pacific Ocean on law enforcement, migrant and drug interdiction or buoy-servicing missions, and each employs a staff of food service specialists, including a food service officer, a galley supervisor, duty cooks, mess cooks and a "jack of the dust," the person in charge of ordering provisions. Mark Cushing, Chief Food Service Specialist on the cutter Steadfast, once spent seven days on a 378-foot ship chasing an illegal driftnetter in the Bering Sea. On 60- to 70-foot seas in 70-knot winds for a week, cooking conditions were rocky, he said. When a ship starts to roll, so do the dishes, utensils, spice jars, cans of oil and people. "If you can imagine being in the back of a moving van going over mountains and trying to scramble eggs," that's what it was like, Cushing said. "And if a ship rolls, a knife can take off, and it doesn't care who it runs into." The ships are equipped with devices to counter shaky conditions, and many cooks have developed techniques to cope. Knives slide into metal pockets, oven doors latch shut, rubber mats keep bowls from moving and some stoves sport braces that hold pots in place. Deep pans keep ingredients from overflowing, and frequently turning those pans helps ensure a near-level cake. Some cooks keep bags tied to their belt loops in case of abrupt seasickness. Even when their stomachs are churning, they can't quit. Instead, they wash their hands and return to work. "No matter what the sea state is, we have to cook," said Forrest Backman. "If you're sick, being in the galley is not the best place to be, with all the smells and things swinging around. And you can't sit much. It makes it very interesting for cooking." Despite the challenges, kitchen catastrophes are rare, he said. He suffered a close call when the buoytender Fir hit heavy weather on a trip to San Diego. Making grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for the night crew's midnight rations, Backman suddenly found himself balancing in the galley while the ship pitched in 20-foot swells. "We hit a ton of water, and the whole boat pretty much stopped," he said. But the food stayed in place; he has never lost a meal. The problems with cooking at sea For Backman, the biggest constraint is space. He regularly attends food service training, learning to carve ice with chainsaws and to whittle intricate garnishes out of vegetables. Having mastered watermelon flamingos, as well as daikon-radish Chinese trawlers, complete with nets and sails, he would like to try some new trends, like "action station cooking." The technique puts the cook in front of the customer, serving freshly prepared food made on the spot. "I could use that here," said Backman, "But space is of the essence. That's the only drawback to being on a boat." Commissioned in 2003, the Fir actually offers about twice the galley space of the decades-old cutters Alert and Steadfast. But it's ordering that presents an extra challenge on those ships. The medium-endurance cutters patrol for up to 62 days, their crews traveling more than 30 days without touching land. When they leave for those trips, freezers are stacked wall-to-wall and up to the ceiling. Stocking the cutter Alert last week required help from all hands on board, with the crew passing boxes in a line that wrapped across the deck, down a ladder through the galley and down to storage. Some of the food isn't for the Coast Guard. Cushing pointed out that the Steadfast's 75-person crew often catches alien migrants during patrols at sea. "We can have 120 additional people on board at a time," Cushing said, noting he has carried several hundred pounds of rice and beans to feed them. Officers purchase some items, including produce, as the ship heads south, but they try to get as much as possible in the United States. "It's a best guess; then, we're stuck with what we have on board," he said. "There's no 7-11 buoy, there are no floating stores out there." They always make room for ice cream, he added, because the crew goes through about six gallons on the boat's weekly ice cream nights. And when cooks run out of items, they adjust. "Necessity is the mother of invention," Cushing said. If the boiler shuts down and they can no longer cook with steam, that might mean making spaghetti in the oven. "Or, if we run out of something - if we run out of mayonnaise - we'll make it," said Derek Wenzel, the Steadfast's jack of the dust. "We do a lot from scratch." Regardless of the cutter, the cooks said crews eat well, whether it's lobster flown in from Maine, crawfish from New Orleans, individual beef Wellingtons in puff pastry, or locally butchered steaks. The kitchens accommodate food allergies, and vegetarian or kosher preferences. Their inspiration stems from a variety of sources - recipes found on the Internet, provided by crew members and their families or spotted on TV. Backman, who started cooking in restaurants at age 16, said he's taken ideas from Food Network pros. "I go by what I think looks good," he said. Serving up morale Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "An army marches on its stomach." Similarly, food services play an important role in the Coast Guard. "What we make directly affects the crew's morale," said Cushing. "We're graded four times a day. If the cook's having a bad day, everybody knows ... but if you tell them they're having individual beef Wellingtons, it makes them feel good." Lt. j.g. John Backus, operations officer on the buoytender Fir, agreed. "Not only do they provide nourishment to the crew, but after a hard day's work, it's the thing people look forward to most," he said. "They're kind of behind the scenes in a lot of respects ... They do things that aren't always noticed, but are appreciated by those working all day and in the cold." The morale of the crew often means more work for the cooks, said Wenzel. Aside from three meals a day plus midrats, the night shift's meal, food service specialists cater ceremonies, holidays and parties, all events aimed at boosting morale. Because every customer is a regular, they try to keep menus updated. But they often can't please everyone when feeding the masses. "Everybody has opinions of how they like their food," said Backman. In addition, the hours are long, even in port. Backman's work day begins at 4:45 a.m., with breakfast ready two hours later. When those dishes are cleared, he prepares soup, which is out of the kitchen by 10 a.m. Lunch is on soon after, and he can typically depart by about 3 p.m. Under way, a cook might work a longer, 17-hour shift, and they're always on call. "No one works harder than the cooks," said Dustin Bowlin, who often describes his job as "building a building then knocking it down." "(Cooks) are the ones who make Christmas dinner," he said. "And it can be frustrating when the soup you spent two hours on is now on the deck." More than just a chef's hat In 12 weeks of training at the Coast Guard's "A" School for food services in Petaluma, Calif., aspiring food service specialists learn cooking techniques, recipe conversions, sanitation and safety practices, with additional opportunities to study nutrition, management, menu preparation and purchasing provisions. But they also work out and train for other jobs in the agency, because cooks perform additional duties on their ships. Bowlin, jack of the dust, doubles as a gunner on the Alert. Steadfast galley supervisor Al Scales lands HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, while jack of the dust Wenzel is a rescue swimmer. Cushing is a small-boat coxswain. "Any time there's an operation, we're all involved," said Cushing. "When things happen, we have to leave the galley." Despite the challenges, the Astoria-based cutter chefs said they enjoy their jobs. Cushing once cooked at a luxury hotel in Seattle and attended chef school. He also raced sailboats, and eventually joined the Coast Guard. "There's no job security in the restaurant industry," he said. "And unlike a restaurant, it's not the same menu, day-in and day-out." Cooks on boats also benefit from tasting different foods when they visit foreign ports, such as the Steadfast's stops along southern coastlines, said galley supervisor Scales. "You learn so much traveling, and it makes you a better cook," he said. "A restaurant is boring. It sits there, you go to work, you go back home. I've been fortunate to go to China, Guam and Japan." Backman likes the freedom. "And it's a fun job," he said. "I like what I do." On the cutter Alert, Bowlin doesn't intend to stay in the food business forever; he plans to pursue a career in law. But for now, he enjoys the autonomy of his position aboard the ship. "It's the most independent job on the boat," said Bowlin. "You may think, 'Who would want that job?' But sometimes that's what makes it so interesting. "It's the rush of a job that makes it interesting, and it's kind of a rush being a cook." |
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