Photo By Cynthia Stephenson | Picture By: Staff Sgt. Shanea Benner shows the Army Reserve 118th birthday cake... read more read more
Army Recruiter from Pennsylvania helps create one-of-a-kind birthday cake for Army Reserve
For most Soldiers, serving in the Army means learning discipline, teamwork, and leadership. For Staff Sgt. Shanea Benner, it also meant discovering a passion for pastry artistry she never expected.
As part of the United States Army Reserve Culinary Arts Team, Benner helped create the official cake for the Army Reserve’s 118th Birthday celebration, a multi-day project combining precision, creativity, and military teamwork. In this Q&A, Benner shares how the Army shaped her culinary career, what it takes to create a cake on this scale, and why pressure in the kitchen feels a lot like executing a mission.
Q: You were invited to help create the Army Reserve 118th Birthday cake. What was your first reaction when you got that call? It was an honor to beapartof the U.S. Army Reserve 118th birthday celebration. I am always very excited for unique opportunities like this one that the Army provides for me and my craft.
Q: Did you expect something like this to be part of your Army experience? I did not. Being a culinary specialist in the Army has given me a very diverse and rich career that I never expected for myself. I truly love my job. The Army has so many opportunities and most people don’t know about; much like the Culinary Arts Team.
Q: When did you first start cooking or baking? I started cooking when I was a teenager. Usually for my family and for my Dad. I fell in love with culinary arts at Advanced Individual Training (AIT). I would regularly show my dad everything I was learning. Even as I progressed into competition cooking.
As for baking and pastry, I started in 2024 when I first competed with the US Army Reserve Culinary Arts Team at the Joint Culinary Training Exercise. My mentor and team manager, Chief Warrant Officer 2, Christine Stanley inspired me and still does, to try something new. With her guidance and a lot of help, I medaled gold in petite four, my first pastry category which has turned into my greatest passion.
*petit fours are a variety bite-sized pastries, cakes, or confections known to be highly decorated.
Q: Is baking something you’ve always enjoyed, or did it develop over time? It has developed over time. I have only really dived into the world of Pastry over the last two years, when I competed at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Convention for Pastry Chef of the Year I had only been training in Pastry for 16 months.
Q: What’s your “go-to” thing to make when you really want to impress people? This is a difficult one… I just enjoy making great food but with a spin on it. I really love working with molecular gastronomy and taking my plates to the next level. It kind of gives that WOW factor. I am also still learning and developing, so I like to challenge myself.
Q: Do you approach baking more as a science or as art? Personally, I think pastry takes an equal approach. The recipes are formulas as everything down to the gram matters to create the final product. For the plating or final touches, it is an art form of its own. Sometimes I can’t even believe that I’ve made something that beautiful.
Q: Can you walk me through what goes into creating a birthday cake for something as big as the Army Reserve 118th? It takes our team days to create the cake. CW2 Stanley is the mastermind behind our cakes. She has an amazing amount of artistic talent. Each tier will hold a specific meaning or theme to the celebration. We will take a day or two to bake all the layers and make the fillings. Then we spend 2-3 days making all the icing and to ensure it’s perfectly iced and decorated. You can imagine the long hours into the night. Assembling is done on site the morning of the celebration with finishing touches.
Q: What kind of thought goes into the design, ingredients, or presentation? Stanley is the amazing mind behind the design, ingredients, and presentation. She works directly with the planning team behind the events and final approvals.
Q: Are there any symbolic elements being incorporated into the cake? Yes! Since the event was held at Betsy Ross’s house, we have her incorporated as our cake topper. She is made by our team’s talented sculptor, Master Sgt. Jeffery Vaughan, out of marzipan (almond paste).
We also can’t celebrate the United States of America without the American Flag. The bottom tier was a textured hand piped 13-star flag. A symbol that means so much to our country and a tribute to Betsy Ross herself who created it.
The vast nature of our country is also symbolized in the middle tier. A beautiful buttercream painting of our country’s landscape and homage to our National Parks, America the Beautiful. Last, the top tier of intricate piped white details and columns to symbolize our country’s house, The White House.
Q: How do you balance creativity with honoring tradition for an event like this? I honestly think it’s more about controlling our own creativity. As patriots and not only lovers of this country but of our Army and Army Reserve, it is very difficult to limit ourselves, keep everything realistic and choose the best options to represent.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of baking at this level or for an event of this size? For me, the most challenging is the pressure. This is different than a competition. Our team members are all award-winning gold medalists. I feel so much pressure to be perfect when it comes to these types of events because it’s not a competition to win, it’s a representation of us, our team and why we are the Army Reserve Culinary Arts Team.
Q: Have you had any “this has to be perfect” moments while working on it? Literally every second until it’s cut and served.
Q: Do you like baking under pressure, or is it a little stressful? I know it sounds crazy, but I love it! It is so stressful, but I really do love it.
Q: If you could design your own cake with no rules for your current Recruiting Station in Hazleton, what would that look like? I would start with a 6 layered dark chocolate cake, naturally dyed black to symbolize the area’s anthracite coal. Only two locations of the highest-ranking coal exist in the world and Hazleton is one of them.
Decorating the cake with wood textured chocolate pieces to represent wood and give it that classic mine entrance look with our company logo. Completing the top of the cake would be a sculpted shovel and pick axe.
Q: If you had to describe your experience helping create a cake for the Army Reserve’s birthday in one sentence, what would you say? A true honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Q: What can we expect to see from you next? I would love to incorporate a Meal, Ready-to Eat (MRE) challenge with the culinary programs in my area. Competing against students on elevating the contents inside of an MRE and teaching them about our field rations and the vast opportunities of being a Culinarian in the Army.
I also am starting a new video series on my Instagram @joinwithssgbenner elevating MRE’s and creating next level dishes, talking about my experience as a chef in the Army and asking any questions that you have about the military!
Q: How does baking something like this compare to working as part of a team in the Army? Everything we do in the Army takes a team, a well-trained squad. No matter what your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or your mission it takes more than just yourself. Baking the U.S .Army Reserve 118th birthday cake is no different.
Q: Are there similarities between executing a mission and executing something like a large-scale cake build? At first glance, military operations and large-scale cake builds seem completely different, but the execution process is surprisingly similar. Both require detailed planning logistics, time management, teamwork, and the ability to adapt when conditions change. In both environments relying on the strengths of your team is key. The Army has taught me how to execute with precision and lead under pressure, and those same skills carry directly into my career as a Culinary Arts Specialist.
Follow Staff Sgt. Shanea Benner on Instagram at (@joinwithssgbenner)
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2026 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 564919 |
| Location: | PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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