YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea – A culinary arts team representing U.S. Army forces on the Korean peninsula held a special luncheon to showcase their skills and thank their supporters at the K-16 Air Base dining facility, Feb. 28. The team, consisting of 12 active service members from each main command in the peninsula, will be competing at Fort Lee against other teams from different regions.
The luncheon consisted of a four-course meal, including soup, salad, stuffed cattle meat in red wine sauce, and dessert. Team members noted that it was a fun job preparing the luncheon.
“This was actually an opportunity for our team,” said Pfc. Allen Huffman, one of the team members. “Since we all came from different areas, we needed a chance to get along and build our team chemistry. Preparing for today’s meal, we were able to strengthen our teamwork and get to know each other a little better.”
Master Sgt. Keith. F. Russ, manager of the Korea culinary arts team, expressed confidence and pride for his team members and what training courses they have been going through.
“Young soldiers here are the best of the best,” Russ said. “Team members were selected through an open workshop. After being selected, they all went through training courses to make sure they are qualified and educated about the culinary arts and serving standards. Although we did have some obstacles preparing for the competition, all team members were able to overcome them and thus I am sure that we will do great on the competition.”
The culinary arts competition is an annual event, which gathers talented service members from each region. After being selected as a member of the team, each team and its members gather in the United States and participate in a six-day exhibition and competition. The team members from Korea will be performing their cooking skills along the main theme, Asia and Pacific from March 9-14.