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‘Standing Tall, Cooking Good’
By T. Anthony Bell, Staff Writer
The 33rd U.S. Army Culinary Competition capped two weeks of intense competition, training and camaraderie with an awards
ceremony held Friday at Mifflin Hall.
The event, the largest of its kind in the United States, is one that aims to showcase and improve military food service skills.
Brig. Gen. Jesse R. Cross, Quartermaster Center and School commanding general and the event’s host, said this year’s competition
set a standard for future ones.
“I’m told that this is the best competition that we’ve ever had,” he said during the ceremony’s keynote speech.
That sentiment came from the participants themselves, said Lt. Col. David K. Allen, director, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence.
“We talked to them throughout the competition and that’s the feedback they gave us,” he said.
About 161 military food service personnel from installations all over the world converged at ACES’ McLaughlin Hall and other
locations to compete in 40 different events during the competition. They included members of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard,
intermittent competitors in the event and the Air Force and Navy, who were competing for the first time.
None of the competition winners were announced before the awards ceremony. Most of the competitors and about 100 others
packed Mifflin Hall in a drama-laced atmosphere similar to that of the Academy Awards.
The biggest award of the event, the installation of the year award, was presented to Fort Carson, Colo. They won a number of
individual and team events to include a number of categories in the cold exhibits event in which they constructed an attractive
Western-themed food display complete with adult-sized, chocolate-tallow-sculpted cowboy figures and a steady flow of country
music. Senior team member Staff Sgt. Guy Winks said the team worked hard to fare well in the competition.
“It was an incredible amount of work,” he said. “I’m so proud of the team. I worked them weekends, evenings, overnight. I worked
them 24 hours on several occasions. It was just our year.”
Fort Carson team manager Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Longstaff said the caliber of personnel made the difference.
“This is absolutely the best team I’ve had to work with,” said Longstaff, a former Culinary Arts event coordinator. “They’re great
people, great students, they worked so very hard and bought me my very first installation of the year.”
This year was also a first for the Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. William Allison, an enlisted aide to a three-star general, captured the
Armed Forces Chef of the Year event, formerly the Army Senior Chef of the Year competition. He earned a silver medal in the event,
beating out 16 other challengers. This is the first year participants from the other services were considered for the award, and
Allison said he is glad to have broken new ground for the Marine Corps.
“This is for all the hard work, the Marine Corps and all the years that we were absent from this competition,” he said.
Team Korea’s Spc. Brian Lippert was named Armed Forces Junior Chef of the Year. He attributed his win to leadership.
“Chief (Travis Smith) has been leading me from day one,” said Lippert. “He’s an icon in the Army. He’s been pushing me to strive, try
things I wouldn’t normally try and get out of my element and take the next step.”
The field cooking event, in which four-man teams use cramped mobile kitchens to prepare 80 or so meals, went to Fort Bliss, Texas.
A team of instructors from Fort Lee earned second place.
Although Army teams finished strong in the competition, contestants from the other services fared well. Allen said the
competitiveness of all the services sets the stage for next year’s competition; one he expects will enjoy even more participants than
this year.
“We think that’s really going to enhance our ability to promote and draw people back for next year’s competition to make it even
bigger and better,” he said.
By T. Anthony Bell, Staff Writer
The 33rd U.S. Army Culinary Competition capped two weeks of intense competition, training and camaraderie with an awards
ceremony held Friday at Mifflin Hall.
The event, the largest of its kind in the United States, is one that aims to showcase and improve military food service skills.
Brig. Gen. Jesse R. Cross, Quartermaster Center and School commanding general and the event’s host, said this year’s competition
set a standard for future ones.
“I’m told that this is the best competition that we’ve ever had,” he said during the ceremony’s keynote speech.
That sentiment came from the participants themselves, said Lt. Col. David K. Allen, director, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence.
“We talked to them throughout the competition and that’s the feedback they gave us,” he said.
About 161 military food service personnel from installations all over the world converged at ACES’ McLaughlin Hall and other
locations to compete in 40 different events during the competition. They included members of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard,
intermittent competitors in the event and the Air Force and Navy, who were competing for the first time.
None of the competition winners were announced before the awards ceremony. Most of the competitors and about 100 others
packed Mifflin Hall in a drama-laced atmosphere similar to that of the Academy Awards.
The biggest award of the event, the installation of the year award, was presented to Fort Carson, Colo. They won a number of
individual and team events to include a number of categories in the cold exhibits event in which they constructed an attractive
Western-themed food display complete with adult-sized, chocolate-tallow-sculpted cowboy figures and a steady flow of country
music. Senior team member Staff Sgt. Guy Winks said the team worked hard to fare well in the competition.
“It was an incredible amount of work,” he said. “I’m so proud of the team. I worked them weekends, evenings, overnight. I worked
them 24 hours on several occasions. It was just our year.”
Fort Carson team manager Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Longstaff said the caliber of personnel made the difference.
“This is absolutely the best team I’ve had to work with,” said Longstaff, a former Culinary Arts event coordinator. “They’re great
people, great students, they worked so very hard and bought me my very first installation of the year.”
This year was also a first for the Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. William Allison, an enlisted aide to a three-star general, captured the
Armed Forces Chef of the Year event, formerly the Army Senior Chef of the Year competition. He earned a silver medal in the event,
beating out 16 other challengers. This is the first year participants from the other services were considered for the award, and
Allison said he is glad to have broken new ground for the Marine Corps.
“This is for all the hard work, the Marine Corps and all the years that we were absent from this competition,” he said.
Team Korea’s Spc. Brian Lippert was named Armed Forces Junior Chef of the Year. He attributed his win to leadership.
“Chief (Travis Smith) has been leading me from day one,” said Lippert. “He’s an icon in the Army. He’s been pushing me to strive, try
things I wouldn’t normally try and get out of my element and take the next step.”
The field cooking event, in which four-man teams use cramped mobile kitchens to prepare 80 or so meals, went to Fort Bliss, Texas.
A team of instructors from Fort Lee earned second place.
Although Army teams finished strong in the competition, contestants from the other services fared well. Allen said the
competitiveness of all the services sets the stage for next year’s competition; one he expects will enjoy even more participants than
this year.
“We think that’s really going to enhance our ability to promote and draw people back for next year’s competition to make it even
bigger and better,” he said.
