3ABCT culinary specialist takes huge step toward fulfilling high school dream

FORT CARSON, CO, UNITED STATES

09.08.2021

Story by Capt. Tobias Cukale 

4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

For Spc. Oscar Cardona Jr., a culinary specialist with 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, one dream, has driven him to pursue excellence in his craft: the IKA/Culinary Olympics.

“In ROTC in high school, I had a [retired] Sgt. Maj. [Rodney Rundblade] who was a career counselor; he told me about this team in the Army that competed in the [culinary] Olympics and that I should go as a cook and I went in, knowing that that’s what I wanted to do,” Cardona explained, following his recent second-place finish in the American Culinary Federation Nationals 2021 competition, which took place Aug. 25 and 26 in Orlando, Florida.

Cardona earned his place at the ACF national competition in March 2020, when he competed at the Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Lee, Virginia, which he almost missed out on.

“Originally, I wasn’t supposed to go because we had just gotten back from Kuwait, and they had already chosen the team. So, I pushed myself in order to get slotted,” Cardona said. He and his team competed against teams from across all service branches, and Cardona earned gold as the South-East Regional Student Chef of the Year.

When discussing his win at the JCTE, Cardona pointed out the skill of his fellow chefs and competitors, saying, “[the other chefs are], extremely talented, but it’s the little things that mess you up. The reason I won was simply that they made more mistakes than I did.” He went on to point out that adaptability is one of the keys to success as a chef. “It’s not going into the competition knowing ‘my menu’s perfect. Things go wrong, and you, as a chef, need to know how to fix things.”

Another key he pointed out: learning from those around you. “You can’t go in thinking that you know everything,” Cardona said. He credited his success to his mentors and chefs, retired Sgt. 1st Class Steven Behr and Brother Luck, as well as his family and teachers, “Sometimes I learn from privates who have done this or anyone.”

His AFC competition wins guarantee him a place on the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team, the same team his JROTC instructor told him about, which will compete in Germany in 2024. “It’s a lot of pressure, but with that in mind, I know this is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Cardona said. I’m going to put my heart and soul into it.”

• Date Taken: 09.08.2021
• Date Posted: 09.08.2021 14:41
• Story ID: 404700
• Location: FORT CARSON, CO, US