Military chefs to compete in culinary competition

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates
  • Defense Media Activity-San Antonio
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFNS) --  More than 50 chefs from around the military converged here to compete in the seventh annual Military Culinary Competition, which will take place Sept. 25.

The competition, which will take place at the Marine Barracks, is being hosted by the Military Hospitality Alliance and will feature culinary teams from across the Department of Defense, including some from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and White House that will compete against each other.

"This competition brings the best military chefs together and lets them find out who's the best," said Master Sgt. Damion Peterson, an enlisted aide at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the MHA president.

The cook-off will feature a mystery box contest where the military chefs open a random box of ingredients and attempt to create a culinary masterpiece in a set amount of time. The chefs will work in tents complete with state-of-the-art ovens similar to those being used in deployed environments around the world.

A team of professional chefs was on hand to educate the competitors on how to properly use the top-of-the-line ovens.

"These ovens are basically a kitchen in a box," said Steve Snitkin, one of the educational chefs at the competition. "So we're out here showing the military chefs how to use these ovens so they'll be ready come competition time."

The winning team will take home the Military Top Chef Award, and $1,000 presented by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Conway.

The competition is being held in conjunction with the Barracks Row Fall Festival, which will feature performances by the Marine Corps Brass Quintet, the Washington Redskins cheerleaders and others.