Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tomora Nance | Spc. Tabatha Buckley, a food service specialist with 3d Cavalry Regiment, scoops out...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – It’s 11:30 p.m. The scent of cinnamon and warm apples emanate from a large industrial stove. Several busy people quickly scurry in a kitchen as preparations for a large feast begin.
But one Trooper in particular is taking her time with meticulous details while interweaving the dough. She is making an apple cobbler - her fourth one of the night.
The Thanksgiving Day lunch is a big deal in the Army, said Spc. Tabatha Buckley, a food service specialist with 3d Cavalry Regiment’s Theodore Roosevelt Dining Facility.
Buckley prepared all of the cobblers with little oversight, smiling often while she worked.
“I absolutely love baking,” said the Sherman, Texas, native.
But cooking in general wasn’t always something she enjoyed. In fact, cooking for the Army was a rather intimidating idea for her.
“At first, I didn’t like the idea of being an Army cook because I didn’t really cook often,” said Buckley. “The thought of cooking for so many people sounded overwhelming, and quite frankly it scared me.”
So, why did she choose to become an Army food specialist?
“I was impatient and wanted to get in [the Army] quick, fast and in a hurry” she said. “I passed by an Army recruiter office one day and decided to join. This was the first job that popped up for me.”
Her Family was proud of her decision to join the military and even happier about her decision to be an Army cook.
She comes from a long line of cooks - bakers, to be exact. Her mother would bake brownies every weekend, and her grandmother would make a chocolate meringue pie every holiday. Birthday and Family gatherings that tasted out of this world, said Buckley.
“I just hope that my pies are as good as theirs,” she said.
Three years later, not only does she enjoy baking for her Family, but she enjoys baking for her Army Family at the DFAC, said Buckley.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of her skills out in the field working in the CKT [Containerized Kitchen] that feeds up to 800 people; she’s awesome at her job,” said Staff Sgt. Ashley Mayo, Buckley’s squad leader.
Although she has to go by the Army standard recipe card, some of her favorite ingredients to use while cooking at the DFAC are vanilla bean, cinnamon and nutmeg.
“It gives my desserts that homemade feeling; there are so many Soldiers that don’t get to go home for the holidays, and it makes me feel good to know they enjoy something that I’ve made,” said Buckley.
Looking toward her future in the Army, Buckley said she’s glad to be in the American Culinary Federation Apprenticeship Training program, so she can learn the tricks in her trade.
The ACF program combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction to receive nationally recognized credentials upon completion. It also helps improve on culinary skills that are transferable to the civilian workforce, according to acfchefs.org.
“She’s going to go far, and being in the apprenticeship program will help her continue her career upon exiting the military,” said Mayo.
“The Soldiers want a good meal and a good atmosphere, so I put my best foot forward for them in hopes they enjoy their meal - especially dessert,” said Buckley, pulling another flaky, golden apple cobbler out of the oven.
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2015 14:34 |
| Story ID: | 183849 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SHERMAN, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Brave Rifles Trooper cooks for holiday DFAC meal, by SFC Tomora Nance, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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