Photo By Chris Gardner | Fort Sill senior leaders serve Soldiers and Marines during the Breaking Bread with...... read more read more
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FORT SILL, Okla. — Minutes before hundreds of Soldiers and Marines entered the Fort Sill Patriot Club, Ethan Briner stood beside a buffet of roasted sirloin, shawarma-spiced chicken and baked gnocchi, assigning installation leaders to carving, serving and dessert stations.
Within minutes, the leaders had traded their usual places at the front of the room for aprons and positions behind the serving line.
Briner, supervisory recreation specialist for MWR Special Events, Patriot Club and Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers adviser, explained how diners would move through the buffet, identified volunteers to carve the steak and made sure each station was ready.
The leaders were among the Fort Sill personnel supporting a July 21 Breaking Bread with Heroes event, during which chef and Royal Navy veteran Robert Irvine’s culinary team worked with installation cooks to prepare about 500 six-course meals.
Once the doors opened, the detailed planning gave way to something more personal: leaders serving Soldiers, Soldiers sharing tables and food connecting people from different units, ranks and backgrounds.
“It’s a way to say thank you to the Soldiers,” said Col. John “Jay” Morgan, Fort Sill garrison commander. “They work so hard.”
Morgan said the event was particularly meaningful during an Oklahoma summer, when Soldiers routinely train and work in temperatures above 100 degrees.
The Robert Irvine Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Irvine in 2014, describes Breaking Bread with Heroes as one of its food programs serving military members, veterans, first responders and their families. The July event marked Irvine’s second Breaking Bread with Heroes visit to Fort Sill following an event in 2023.
Before the meal, Irvine told the assembled Soldiers and Marines that the purpose extended beyond the menu.
“It’s not just food,” he said.
Irvine said shared meals give service members time to talk, look after one another and recognize when someone may be struggling.
“Are you breaking bread with us today, sitting around a table with each other?” Irvine asked. “We keep an eye on each other. We watch each other’s back. That’s what we do in the military.”
Irvine, who served in the Royal Navy, said preparing food is his way of thanking U.S. service members. He also values the opportunity to listen to Soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen during installation visits.
Those conversations, he said, can offer insight into the concerns affecting service members and help inform his discussions with military leaders.
“Food is a conduit to friendships,” Irvine said.
The six-course menu, served buffet style, gave diners flavors from several culinary traditions.
The meal began with two salads. One combined shaved Brussels sprouts and cabbage with roasted cauliflower, citrus, quinoa, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, feta and Parmesan. The second featured tomatoes and mozzarella with toasted ciabatta, herbs, balsamic and olive oil.
The main selections included dry-rubbed Black Angus New York sirloin carved to order with chimichurri and horseradish cream; lemon-and-shawarma-spiced roasted chicken; and baked gnocchi with pulled pork, four-cheese fondue and a toasted herb topping.
Roasted vegetables and rosemary potatoes with wild mushrooms and balsamic-caramelized onions rounded out the savory dishes. The meal concluded with strawberry shortcake, macerated berries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and strawberry ice cream.
Fresh herbs, citrus and tomatoes balanced the richer beef, pork and cheese dishes, while the shawarma seasoning and chimichurri brought contrasting flavors together on the same plate.
Preparing the meal required several days of work by a small visiting culinary team and Fort Sill’s own food-service professionals.
Chef Darryl Moiles, Irvine’s vice president of culinary affairs and corporate executive chef, arrived several days before the event to work alongside Fort Sill culinary specialists.
Together, they inspected ingredients, reviewed recipes and organized the preparation by dish. Dressings, marinades and other time-intensive components were completed first, while delicate produce was prepared closer to service.
Moiles said Irvine’s traveling culinary operation is smaller than many people might assume. He and another chef frequently work separate events, relying on local culinary teams to help prepare and serve the meals at each location.
At Fort Sill, Moiles remained involved throughout the cooking process and hoped the Soldiers working beside him would gain techniques they could use in future meals.
Spc. Schuyler Foulks, a culinary specialist assigned to the 100th Brigade Support Battalion, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, volunteered to help prepare the lunch.
“It was quite an experience,” Foulks said. “I got to hang out with Darryl and learn from him, see the little tricks that he has.”
Foulks said the spices, flavor combinations and preparation methods differed from what he normally encounters during his daily duties.
He said he hoped to use some of what he learned while cooking for his wife and family and, when appropriate, in his Army work.
Foulk’s experience added another dimension to the event. While hundreds of service members received a special meal, Fort Sill culinary personnel also had the opportunity to work directly with experienced executive chefs.
Morgan said the quality of the food also reinforced the relationship between nutrition and performance.
“How we fuel is as important as how we PT,” he said.
Morgan said he hoped the meal would leave Soldiers and Marines feeling appreciated while also reminding them that food choices affect energy, performance and readiness.
Irvine echoed that idea, describing service members as athletes who need fresh, properly prepared food to meet the physical demands of their missions.
The event’s success also depended on the Fort Sill employees and volunteers working outside the kitchen.
Briner and the Patriot Club team coordinated serving stations, volunteer assignments, beverages, desserts, room setup and the movement of diners through the buffet. Fort Sill culinary specialists prepared food beside the visiting chefs, while leaders served meals rather than sitting at a head table.
By the time the first plate reached the carving station, days of preparation had been reduced to a simple exchange: a leader serving a Soldier and a Soldier deciding whether to try chimichurri, horseradish cream or both.
As the serving line thinned, conversations continued around the Patriot Club tables. The menu brought together several culinary traditions, but Irvine said the lasting value came from the people sharing it.
“Food is a conduit to friendships,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2026 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 570872 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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