Photo By Kristina Doss | YOKOSUKA, Japan (April 27, 2018) Culinary Specialist Seaman Micheal Miller of USS...... read more read more
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By Kristina Doss, U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan (April 27, 2018) -- Culinary Specialist Seaman Micheal Miller of guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) had the "chops" to win a cooking competition on board U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, April 27.
Miller - who competed against three more senior culinary specialists in the finals - cooked an appetizer, an entree and a dessert using surprise ingredients that won over the judges.
"I'm really excited. I didn't expect to win because I'm only a seaman," said Miller. "Hard work pays off and learning from other people pays off."
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Adult Sports hosted the Chopped cooking challenge onboard U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka to give area Sailors a more diverse range of Captain's Cup activities to compete in.
"We try to offer something for everyone," said Wendy Winter, MWR Sports director. "Not everyone is a ball-and-bat kind of person, so we offer a competition for culinary specialists to see what they can do."
In Yokosuka, the cooking competition took place over the course of five days, with the winners of the first four days earning a spot to compete in the finals. All told, 16 chefs competed but only four -- Miller, USS Blue Ridge's (LCC 19) Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Gallardo, USS Ronald Reagan's (CVN 76) Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Alexandra Oletski, and USS Chancellorsville's (CG 62) Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Emmanuel Appiahkubi -- made it to the finals.
During the final competition, each chef was given identical boxes containing unknown ingredients they had to incorporate into each course. Some of the surprise ingredients such as a jar of bagoong, or shrimp paste, during the appetizer round proved challenging for chefs who never ate or cooked with them before. While other chefs found comfort in ingredients they grew up enjoying such as plantains.
While contestants got creative with their recipes and the presentation of their dishes, they had a limited amount of time to put it all together.
"It's very nerve wracking when you start, but then your culinary specialist (training) kicks in and you just go," said Oletski, who competed in the finals.
Once the timer was up, the culinary specialists presented their respective dish to a panel of three judges. A finalist is eliminated after each course until only one chef remains standing.
Max Agpaoa, one of the judges, acknowledged the hard work each competitor put into preparing for the competition. Agpaoa, the commander, Navy Region Japan galley program manager, said the culinary specialists -- who brought creativity to the cooking competition -- typically spend every day cooking with equipment bolted to a bulkhead of a ship, which leaves only the weekend for "practicing, experiencing, and tasting" to be a good cook.
"So whatever they're doing in their spare time is a testament to their dedication," he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2018 21:05 |
| Story ID: | 305476 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, JP |
| Web Views: | 669 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Yokosuka Sailor Wins Chopped Cooking Competition, by Kristina Doss, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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