JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Fourteen Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves chefs gained invaluable culinary training during the 2015 Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence at the Culinary Institute of America at its Greystone Campus in St. Helena, California, Sept. 10-25.
Participants included 36 military servicemembers from the Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserves, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Military Sealift Command who came from posts in the United States, Asia, Europe and at sea.
“CIA Greystone is the Ivy League for the culinary arts,” said James Krueger, chief Air Force Food, Beverage and Business Development Strategic Initiatives at the Air Force Services Activity.
The 2015 forum was the ninth offered at the institute.
Air Force participants were selected during the 2015 Hennessy Trophy Awards evaluation by all-volunteer members of the Hennessy Travelers Association, which identifies military food service personnel who demonstrated high proficiency in the culinary arts and service. The HTA consists of industry executives from national trade associations of the National Restaurant Association; Society for Hospitality; and Air Force team members from the Foodservice Management augmenting headquarters. The National Restaurant Association has supported and sponsored the Air Force’s Hennessy Awards program since 1956.
“The hope is Greystone would be a spark – providing a glimpse of what our great industry has to offer and they would continue to pursue their education in the culinary arts,” said Krueger.
The annual Culinary Institute of America event is hosted by the National Restaurant Association Military Foundation. The week-long educational program included interactive seminars, hands-on cooking activities and mentoring and career-coaching sessions. Sessions included knife skills; reducing fat without reducing flavor in recipes; the art of using leftovers; repairing and reviving recipes; and breakouts on skills such as roasting, braising, grilling and more.
“One of the most important pieces of information I learned is how the food industry isn’t just food. It expanded my knowledge of the business aspect, operations, management and skills needed, as well as a knowledge of food,” said Tech. Sgt. Kimberly Aguilar of the Air National Guard 133rd Force Support Squadron in Minnesota. Aguilar is the storeroom non-commissioned officer for the 133rd. Her primary responsibility is to evaluate, plan, organize and aid in food service operations.
“We hope their experience motivates participants to take back and apply what they have learned to their food service operations back at their installations. Typically they returned inspired, sharing all that they have learned with others at their home station, directly impacting our food service operations worldwide,” said Bill Spencer, chief, Air Force food and beverage.
“I learned a lot about the business side of food service that can help cut food cost at my station,” said Senior Airman Marco Tordera of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in a student feedback survey. Tordera is a food service apprentice at the Ozark Inn Dining Facility and supports a $20 million food service operation for 1,000 dorm residents, three wings, 17 units and 12,000 military, civilian, retirees and their families, according to his student biography.
One of the week’s highlights was a recipe contest sponsored by Rose Packing Co. The winner was a cross-service team composed of Senior Airman Chelsea Lawson of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Airman 1st Class Jonathon Martinez of Hurlburt Field, Florida; Sgt. Austin Nelson of the Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona; Alvin Nucum, Military Sealift Command, USS Frank Cable; and Specialist Alexandra Treul, U.S. Army National Guard, 132nd Brigade Support Battalion, Wisconsin. They created a roast rack of pork stuffed with spicy spinach served with apple gastrique and accompanied by orange-scented sweet potato puree and fresh, white asparagus salad.
The chance to learn from the best, though, was even more valuable than winning the recipe contest.
“The experience was more than likely the highlight of my career. The chefs were really good at keeping us interested in cooking even though we do it on a regular basis. It was a great learning experience. I was grateful to have been able to go,” said Lawson.
In addition to Aguilar, Lawson and Tordera, Air Force participants were: Senior Airman Angel Agosto, Air Force Reserves, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas; Airman Joshua Allen, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; Staff Sgt. Reginald Brown, Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Senior Airman Isiah Davis, Kadena Air Base, Japan; Senior Airman Marc Eisenmann Jr., Yokota Air Base, Japan; Senior Airman Justin Fitzpatrick, Air National Guard, Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho; Airman 1st Class Skiilar Hopson, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Airman 1st Class Jonathan Martinez, Hurlburt Field, Florida; Senior Airman Aramis Rodriguez, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; Senior Airman Joseph Ruiz, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; and Staff Sgt. Michael Wadsworth, Air National Guard, Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire.