Spartan chefs throw it down at Alaska State Fair

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Smith | U.S. Army Spc. Terrance Stewart, a food service specialist with the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, serves a family during the People’s Choice portion of the Rancher’s Reserve Beef Showdown competition Sept. 1, 2013, at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith/Released)  

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES

09.04.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Sheltered from a drizzly day by the Alaska Glacier Products Borealis Plaza Tent, chefs and food service specialists with the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division prepared and served beef specialties at the Rancher’s Reserve Beef Showdown Sept. 1, 2013, at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska.

The 4th IBCT’s Spartans from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson competed against culinary artists from the University of Alaska Anchorage, headed by Chef Naomi Everett, and the Alaska Vocational Technical Center, led by Chef Chip Dunlap.

The Spartan team submitted three recipes for official grading and public sampling.

First out were flank steaks stuffed with maple sausage and diced peppers along with tricolor penne rigate with creamy pesto sauce, julienned mixed vegetable medley, and burgundy demi glace.

The second submission was Guinness-glazed flat steaks (roulade) with spinach pine nuts and hickory smoked bacon sided with creamy risotto and Parmesan cheese, and seasoned cauliflower on a bed of red and yellow peppers.

For their last submission of the day, the Centurions presented the judges with sirloin steaks topped with fresh herb lemon garlic butter with sides of caramelized onions, crimini and morel mushrooms, tourned potato fingerlings roasted with rosemary truffle oil, steamed asparagus with béarnaise sauce, and red leaf lettuce salad with blood orange vinaigrette and crisp parsnips.

“We do meat, starch, and vegetable plating designs with sauces, so we like to show that technique,” said Sgt. 1st Class Randall Summerford, the Spartan Team’s leader, hailing from Seattle.

The cooking events coordinator, Haley Forkner, from Palmer, Alaska, said it was a great event attended by more than 1,800 visitors.

“We really loved having the team from JBER here. We had several people come through and when we told them we had a team from JBER they were really excited about it. They were supportive, and I think that’s awesome,” said Forkner.

Summerford, along with Sgt. Rafael Bonair led the JBER team to a respectable finish, but it was the UAA team headed up by Chef Naomi Everett who won the overall competition.

Bonair, originally from Trinidad who set down roots in Fayetteville, N.C., said it was neat to meet other culinary arts professionals from the Anchorage area.

“The connections you make out here are lasting. We actually met Alaska’s ACF (American Culinary Federation) vice president last week!”

While making local connections, JBER’s team also supported the Anchorage area’s agricultural industry by purchasing local ingredients to use in their recipes.

“Most of the vegetables we used were locally purchased at the farmer’s market. We purchased some items here at the fairgrounds when we were here last week, and we went to a few organics shops that are here in Anchorage, so we are trying to promote Alaskan ingredients,” said Summerford.

In addition to Summerford and Bonair, the team from JBER also included Spc. Phillip Wallace, Spc. Christopher Lounsberry, Pvt. Alexander Sanchez, Spc. Terrance Stewart, Spc. Robert Cottrell, Sgt. Christopher Jackson, Sgt. Christen Oxendine, and Staff Sgt. Steven L. Horne Jr.

The Spartan brigade also had an official judge on the competition’s panel, Spc. Lucas Brockett.

This year was the first time a team from the Spartan brigade competed at the showdown, with hopefully more to come, Summerford said.

“This is our first competition, so we want to have a good standing, so future soldiers can go out and represent our food program here in Alaska,” Summerford said.

• Date Taken: 09.04.2013
• Date Posted: 09.04.2013 19:11
• Story ID: 113087
• Location: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US
• Hometown: ANCHORAGE, AK, US
• Hometown: FAYETTEVILLE, NC, US
• Hometown: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US
• Hometown: PALMER, AK, US
• Hometown: SEATTLE, WA, US