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Judges Ensure Military Culinarians Improve Their Craft
Mar 12, 2008 BY Jorge Gomez, Fort Lee Public Affairs
Fort Lee, Va. (March 12, 2008) Chef judges do more than just grill the culinarians at this competition. They mentor them as much as
they judge their work.
"The competitor should go away feeling good because they know what to do to make themselves better," said Chief Warrant Officer
4 Robert Sparks, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence, culinary skills division chief.
At the end of each competitor's submission, culinarians stand before judges to receive constructive criticism, encouragement,
suggestions to improve and advice on how to avoid pitfalls in the next round.
"The first thing we look for is competent skills," said Chef Judge Geoffrey Acott, British Defence Food Services School. "If they don't
understand basic principles of cookery, it's very difficult to deliver a good dish."
Then they look at how well the competitors know and use ingredients.
"Farmers around the world grow some excellent produce, but a poor chef can ruin that process very easily," Acott said.
Lastly, Acott said they hope to see some innovation that can be developed further.
Perhaps equally important to all those principles, even if the competitors do not win a medal on any one category, is they gain
something as a result, he said.
"I've said to them many times, first of all to enjoy themselves because if they are not enjoying themselves they shouldn't be here.
Secondly, to learn because if they don't go back a better chef than when they came, they've just wasted time," he said.
Acott said this competition is similar in design to regional and some national competitions, but it's important to keep perspective on
the military context.
"These guys have skills, there's no doubt, but they don't always receive the opportunity to practice those skills when they're doing
large quantity employee feeding, which is what the services are about," Acott said.
Chef Judge Roland Schaeffer, retired senior experimental chef for Heinz, said the competitors don't always have the opportunity to
practice like those who work in a restaurant or hotel.
"The competition is a wonderful exercise for them because if they want to start working in a restaurant or hotel when they get out of
the Army (or other service), they are better prepared to do a good job," Schaeffer said.
Regardless of what background the competitors bring with them to the kitchen labs, the chef judges are still upholding the same
standards.
"Food has to taste good, look good, and hot food is supposed to be hot. That goes for Civilian or military," Schaeffer said.
Some competitors fall under the false impression that because it's a competition, their entries have to be technically difficult.
"While degree of difficulty will score (high), it will only score if it's delivered well," Acott said. "Simple food cooked well will always
score over a difficult dish cooked badly."
Passion also makes a difference, Schaeffer said.
"I can see it (on a chef) when I walk into the kitchen, how he presents himself, whether he has good knife skills, and how he moves. I
like to see someone almost a little hyper in the kitchen," Schaeffer said.
"We don't want someone who is slow, sloppy and uninterested. You can tell if a person loves what he's doing."
Schaeffer said cooks have to love what they do, especially if they are thinking of a long-term career.
"It's long hours. You work on holidays when everyone else is taking it off, and you have to be Michelangelo every day," he said.
With more than 40 years of cooking in various parts of the world - to include Hollywood, Germany, Switzerland and even on the
yacht of an airline owner - Schaeffer is now judging on average two competitions a month.
Anyone with taste buds can judge whether food tastes good, or if a carrot is undercooked, or if a starch lacks flavor. What these
experienced judges bring to the competition, that no layman can do, is inspiration to cook better, "to set them up for success," said
Sparks.
She said their stepping up to the challenge was commendable but not surprising from such a dedicated group of instructors.
"Anytime I need support from these instructors, they're ready and able," said Davis. "Today was no different. We had an empty MKT
and Soldiers to feed, and they jumped right in and performed."
While they weren't a field team originally slated to compete in the 33rd U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition, their cooking
performance and meal were critiqued and tasted by the American Culinary Federation judges and a large group of advanced
individual training Soldiers.
The "Dream Team" was Staff Sgt. Edwin Ezell, Staff Sgt. Marcus Hughes, Staff Sgt. DeAndre Brown and Staff Sgt. Christopher
Gallien.
Like the original NBA Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, the culinary dream team of Fort Lee is a
list of Fort Lee superstars, said Brown.
"It's our everyday job - we're food service," said Brown. "So we were pretty laid back and enjoying ourselves."
Gallien, with 12 years in the food service profession, said experience is what made an otherwise daunting task easy for the team.
"This is second nature to me, it's almost like tying my shoes," said Gallien. "We got together as a team and we set out to accomplish
the mission together.
As instructors, they teach younger Soldiers how to work as a team inside the MKT. Never having the opportunity to work together in
a competitive format was unique for Hughes and Ezell, both with 17 years in the service. As team captain, Ezell went from a support
role in the competition to a participant.
"We had about five minutes before being given the task of preparing a meal," said Ezell, the team captain. "That's what we teach our
students. If you know your craft, it doesn't matter where you are, or how much time you're given. You're given the task and you do it."
The prime rib meal was enjoyed by AIT classes from the Petroleum and Water Department, who also dined at the field the previous
day. Seeing the Fort Lee sign outside the MKT and being served by the instructors elicited shouts of encouragement from the
students. Pvt. Christopher Lujano, a petroleum specialist student, was one of the fortunate 50 to sample the team's product.
"The meal was great," said Lujano. "Everything on it was awesome. The steak was cooked perfectly. It was a treat for us to come out
here and experience this."
Mar 12, 2008 BY Jorge Gomez, Fort Lee Public Affairs
Fort Lee, Va. (March 12, 2008) Chef judges do more than just grill the culinarians at this competition. They mentor them as much as
they judge their work.
"The competitor should go away feeling good because they know what to do to make themselves better," said Chief Warrant Officer
4 Robert Sparks, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence, culinary skills division chief.
At the end of each competitor's submission, culinarians stand before judges to receive constructive criticism, encouragement,
suggestions to improve and advice on how to avoid pitfalls in the next round.
"The first thing we look for is competent skills," said Chef Judge Geoffrey Acott, British Defence Food Services School. "If they don't
understand basic principles of cookery, it's very difficult to deliver a good dish."
Then they look at how well the competitors know and use ingredients.
"Farmers around the world grow some excellent produce, but a poor chef can ruin that process very easily," Acott said.
Lastly, Acott said they hope to see some innovation that can be developed further.
Perhaps equally important to all those principles, even if the competitors do not win a medal on any one category, is they gain
something as a result, he said.
"I've said to them many times, first of all to enjoy themselves because if they are not enjoying themselves they shouldn't be here.
Secondly, to learn because if they don't go back a better chef than when they came, they've just wasted time," he said.
Acott said this competition is similar in design to regional and some national competitions, but it's important to keep perspective on
the military context.
"These guys have skills, there's no doubt, but they don't always receive the opportunity to practice those skills when they're doing
large quantity employee feeding, which is what the services are about," Acott said.
Chef Judge Roland Schaeffer, retired senior experimental chef for Heinz, said the competitors don't always have the opportunity to
practice like those who work in a restaurant or hotel.
"The competition is a wonderful exercise for them because if they want to start working in a restaurant or hotel when they get out of
the Army (or other service), they are better prepared to do a good job," Schaeffer said.
Regardless of what background the competitors bring with them to the kitchen labs, the chef judges are still upholding the same
standards.
"Food has to taste good, look good, and hot food is supposed to be hot. That goes for Civilian or military," Schaeffer said.
Some competitors fall under the false impression that because it's a competition, their entries have to be technically difficult.
"While degree of difficulty will score (high), it will only score if it's delivered well," Acott said. "Simple food cooked well will always
score over a difficult dish cooked badly."
Passion also makes a difference, Schaeffer said.
"I can see it (on a chef) when I walk into the kitchen, how he presents himself, whether he has good knife skills, and how he moves. I
like to see someone almost a little hyper in the kitchen," Schaeffer said.
"We don't want someone who is slow, sloppy and uninterested. You can tell if a person loves what he's doing."
Schaeffer said cooks have to love what they do, especially if they are thinking of a long-term career.
"It's long hours. You work on holidays when everyone else is taking it off, and you have to be Michelangelo every day," he said.
With more than 40 years of cooking in various parts of the world - to include Hollywood, Germany, Switzerland and even on the
yacht of an airline owner - Schaeffer is now judging on average two competitions a month.
Anyone with taste buds can judge whether food tastes good, or if a carrot is undercooked, or if a starch lacks flavor. What these
experienced judges bring to the competition, that no layman can do, is inspiration to cook better, "to set them up for success," said
Sparks.
She said their stepping up to the challenge was commendable but not surprising from such a dedicated group of instructors.
"Anytime I need support from these instructors, they're ready and able," said Davis. "Today was no different. We had an empty MKT
and Soldiers to feed, and they jumped right in and performed."
While they weren't a field team originally slated to compete in the 33rd U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition, their cooking
performance and meal were critiqued and tasted by the American Culinary Federation judges and a large group of advanced
individual training Soldiers.
The "Dream Team" was Staff Sgt. Edwin Ezell, Staff Sgt. Marcus Hughes, Staff Sgt. DeAndre Brown and Staff Sgt. Christopher
Gallien.
Like the original NBA Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, the culinary dream team of Fort Lee is a
list of Fort Lee superstars, said Brown.
"It's our everyday job - we're food service," said Brown. "So we were pretty laid back and enjoying ourselves."
Gallien, with 12 years in the food service profession, said experience is what made an otherwise daunting task easy for the team.
"This is second nature to me, it's almost like tying my shoes," said Gallien. "We got together as a team and we set out to accomplish
the mission together.
As instructors, they teach younger Soldiers how to work as a team inside the MKT. Never having the opportunity to work together in
a competitive format was unique for Hughes and Ezell, both with 17 years in the service. As team captain, Ezell went from a support
role in the competition to a participant.
"We had about five minutes before being given the task of preparing a meal," said Ezell, the team captain. "That's what we teach our
students. If you know your craft, it doesn't matter where you are, or how much time you're given. You're given the task and you do it."
The prime rib meal was enjoyed by AIT classes from the Petroleum and Water Department, who also dined at the field the previous
day. Seeing the Fort Lee sign outside the MKT and being served by the instructors elicited shouts of encouragement from the
students. Pvt. Christopher Lujano, a petroleum specialist student, was one of the fortunate 50 to sample the team's product.
"The meal was great," said Lujano. "Everything on it was awesome. The steak was cooked perfectly. It was a treat for us to come out
here and experience this."
| Eye for Art - March 12, 2008 Culinary judges evaluate an entry by Staff Sgt. Michael Bogle, Fort Sill, competed in the Contemporary Live Events category March 6 at the 33rd U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee, Va. Photo by Jorge Gomez, Fort Lee Public Affairs Office. |
