Air Force flight attendants hold first culinary arts competition at Rodeo 2011

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
  • Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 Public Affairs
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (AFNS) --  For the first time in the history of the Air Mobility Rodeo, Air Force flight attendants competed against each other in a culinary arts competition here July 25 through 27.

Although the primary role of flight attendants is to facilitate the safe evacuation of passengers in case of an emergency on board the aircraft, the Airmen also are responsible for providing meals. The competition gave them the chance to show off their skills here as part of Rodeo 2011.

Five teams from around the Air Force cooked a beef lunch or dinner with a dessert for the panel of judges, who rated the meals based on taste, creativity and presentation. In addition, Chief Master Sgt. Seina Enwright and Staff Sgt. Cat Wilkerson, both flight attendants, observed the cooks to ensure all food items were prepared safely.

"As career enlisted aviators, we have a role in the mobility mission, so it only made sense to have our folks compete at Rodeo," said Enwright, who is also the functional manager for flight attendants. "Having this opportunity also gives our Airmen the chance to learn from each other. There are a few training courses available for flight attendants, but none of them teach how to cook on board an airplane, so most of what we do is on-the-job training or collaborating and learning from one another."

The competitors had $400 to shop for all their ingredients the day before they cooked, rodeo officials said. They were allowed to bring some specialty equipment, but, for the most part, had to use what was available to them. When it was their turn, each two-person team had three hours to prepare and serve a meal to the judges and several members of the fire department, who donated use of their kitchen for the event.

"We were inspired by Rodeo and wanted our dish to reflect that, so we grilled a lot," said Tech. Sgt. Dani Sloan, who is a reservist and member of the only total force team in the event. "But we were also inspired by our backgrounds. I'm from Northern California, so we went with tri-tip, a very West Coast cut of beef; (Staff Sgt. Amy Gillilan is) from Georgia, so we had a Georgia peach for dessert."

"We put a lot of thought into what we were making," said Gillilan, an active duty Airman and Sloan's teammate. "We were way outside our comfort zone cooking here, so our hope is that all the thought and effort we put into the planning and execution will pay off."

Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 is a biennial international competition that focuses on mission readiness, featuring airdrops, aerial refueling and other events that showcase the skills of mobility crews from around the world.

The winners of each competition will be announced during the closing ceremonies July 29.

For more information on the Air Mobility Rodeo 2011, click here.