Photo By Cpl. Drake Nickels | The winning confection, a chicken and waffle cupcake, on display at the first annual...... read more read more
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Cpl. Giovanni Murguia's focus remained sharply fixed on his creation as he whisked, mixed and deep fried in a bid for glory. It's no secret that U.S. Marines embrace competition and in this case, it was at the 13 Area Mess Hall, on Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 29, 2018, where food specialists came to face to face in a confectionary bake-off.
The first annual Cupcake Madness competition pitted three teams from the 52, 31, and 14 Area mess halls against each other. The teams were only allowed to use ingredients readily found in an everyday chow hall to prepare their dessert, which added an extra challenge.
The teams submitted their cupcakes for consideration to a panel of five judges, to include Sgt. Maj. Julio E. Meza, sergeant major, Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Mrs. Maggie Meza, who used a taste test method of elimination to determine which teams would proceed to the next round.
"Three cupcakes enter," said Al Benrue, a food service district manager, "then one cupcake leaves."
The competition was fierce, but only one team could emerge victorious. After the dust settled, the last men and women standing were the 14 Area Mess Hall food specialists. The classic sweet and savory flavors of their crispy chicken and waffle cupcake, doused in maple syrup and vanilla icing, won the taste buds of the judges and secured a first place medal for its creators.
"Bringing the ideas to life was pretty difficult," said Cpl. Giovanni Murguia, member of the winning team, "it was a great experience to be creative and see what my Marines enjoyed."
Murguia says he unfortunately will not be returning to the competition next year due to orders elsewhere, but he plans on passing the torch to the next group of 14 Area Mess Hall Marines to defend their title as Cupcake Madness champions.
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2018 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 271328 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 111 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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