Above, Navy Culinary Specialist Stephen Garcia of Vancouver, Wash., based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, makes guacamole during the 2005 Culinary Arts Competition. The 32nd annual competition kicks off in early March at Fort Lee, Va. Staff
Who will be the military’s top chef?
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Feb 13, 2007 20:14:11 EST
More than 200 military chefs are expected to converge on Fort Lee, Va., in early March for the annual Culinary Arts Competition.
The contest will begin March 5 with the Senior Chef of the Year, an individual competition. Other competitions will run through March 15, with an awards ceremony scheduled for March 16.
While a definitive list of contest participants hasn’t been set, organizers say they expect to have the following teams competing for Installation of the Year honors: Fort Bragg, N.C.; U.S. Army Europe; Hawaii; Korea; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Army Reserve, Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Stewart, Ga.
To win for best installation, a team must compete in each of the following categories and score highest out of the possible 320 points:
* Buffet, which includes one show platter of meat, poultry game or fish; one show platter of cold hors d’oeuvres (eight varieties); six different plated appetizers; one three-course meal in each style, American, international and vegetarian; six different plated desserts; one buffet platter of fancy cookies, chocolates or petit fours; and one table theme buffet centerpiece.
* Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, which includes a one-hour written exam to select finalists for the live version similar in style to the game show “Jeopardy!” Topics cover culinary, management, nutrition and sanitation. Each team has four members who are E-4s and below.
* Senior Army Chef of the Year is a demanding competition that gives competitors 15 minutes to review the “market basket” of ingredients they receive from which they create a four-course menu. Contestants have 30 minutes to plan the menu, four hours to prepare and cook the food and 30 minutes to present and serve all four courses. Each competitor may have an assistant in the grade of E-4 or below to help with sanitation, weighing ingredients and basic vegetable prep.
* Junior Army Chef of the Year is similar to the senior chef of the year competition, but contestants may not rank higher than E-4. They may have an assistant. Competitors have less time to plan and serve their meal, which consists of three courses, but are still given four hours to cook.
* Field Competition tests how well a four-member team can prepare a meal for 50 in a mobile kitchen trailer in under three hours. Emphasis is placed on safety, sanitation, food preparation, service and taste. The team works with a mystery basket unitized group ration.