Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Military Competition Winner Coast Guard Culinary Specialist First Class Scott
Friday, May 18th 2018, for the very first time five Military Chefs from all branches of service competed in the very first Chaine des Rotisseurs military division national culinary competition held at the Culinary Institute of Charleston. They were put to the test of doing a "Mystery Basket" that included:
2 Ducks, Pork Belly, Trigger Fish, Mung Beans, Asian Red Beans, Green Tea, Butter, Farmers Cheese, and Grapefruit and ginger. Among the dishes they devised were escabeche with papaya puree; cheese fish cake and seared duck over blueberry couscous and red beans.
They had to produce a fine dining 3 course meal of 4 potions in a total of 4 hours and 20 minutes. The chefs were given 30 minutes to write a menu and gather ingredients, 3 1/2 hours to cook and 20 minutes to plate up.
After the smoked cleared and the aroma had settled it was time for the Chaine des Rotisseur Chef Judges to taste the food and score the plates.
In the 1980s Chaine chef competitors were typically asked to provide judges with three menus; judges would then choose one for the chef to make. Chaine cooking contests should eventually be conducted that way again, especially since the notion of blindsiding chefs with an unexpected fruit or cut of meat is only a American trend. Chaine has a worldwide focus.
“And the winner is” Culinary Specialist First Class John Scott Jeffries from the US Coast Guard.
His menu was as follows:
Seared Trigger Fish,Mung Beans with a Pork Lardon and a Sesame Ginger Sauce
Crispy Tea Smoked Duck with a Roasted Mushroom Hash, Carrot Puree, Duck Croquette and a Berry Gastrique
Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Mousse, Spiced Nuts and a Citrus Sauce
When asked about the event, Chef Rene Marquis, The Vice Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionnels des Etats-Unis, Militaires, stated
“It was my honor to assemble these Military Chefs in our very own version of Kitchen Stadium and they cooked their asses off. These service members not only serve our country and protect our Freedom and our Flag, and they did it a very high skilled professionally manner. USA USA USA!”
Next year Chef Rene Marquis would like to bring back the Freedom Chef Challenge and make it 2 man teams like it was done in years past. He plans on doing the competition in Pittsburgh!
Chaine has made changes since 2015. Most notably the creation of a Culinary Weekend now taking place in Charleston, rounding out a longstanding competition for young chefs with a members’ gala, members’ seminars and contests for pastry chefs and military chefs, the latter of which debuted this year.
Although judging is still left to professionals, members will get to meet the military chefs – most of whom cook on a daily basis for high-ranking officers – at Saturday night’s gala. The competitors formed to a temporary Chaine honor guard, which means they’ll carry an American flag into the Francis Marion Hotel ballroom. Approximately 100 members from across the country are supposed to attend the party.
Congratulations to all the military chefs and to CS1 Scott Jeffries on his victory!
For more information on Chaîne des Rôtisseurs please see the video below.
Our Military Chef Competitors
Air Force Chef
Technical Sergeant Andy Alvarez
Marine Corps Chef Sergeant
Blanquivett Robinson
Army Chef
Staff Sergeant
Luis Rodriguez
Coast Guard Chef
Culinary Specialist
Scott Jeffries
Navy Chef
Culinary Specialist
Delisha L. Adams META DATA DATA
Special Thanks to the Event Sponsors
