JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska— The 11th Airborne Division named its Senior and Junior Chefs of the Year following a rigorous two-day culinary competition held July 29-30, 2026, at The Wilderness Inn.
Staff Sgt. Novak, culinary specialist with the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and Spc. Reyes-Cruz, culinary specialist with the 1st Battalion, 511th Infantry Regiment, secured the top honors in the senior and junior categories, respectively.
The division-level event, hosted by the 11th Airborne Division, challenged six of the division’s top culinary specialists in an individual showcase designed to evaluate both military knowledge and technical culinary aptitude.
The competition began July 29 with a knowledge board, where competitors were evaluated on general Soldier tasks and specialized culinary knowledge, with a specific focus on tactical field feeding operations.
On July 30, the focus shifted to hands-on execution. Culinarians faced a strict 90-minute time limit to prepare and plate a three-course meal, producing four identical plates for each course. Using ingredients sourced directly from the dining facility, competitors designed their own menus to demonstrate culinary creativity under pressure.
"This competition is a way for our culinary noncommissioned officers and specialists to showcase skills that extend far beyond the standard dining facility," said Master Sgt. Curtis W. McFarland Jr., the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) brigade senior culinary management NCO. "The Chef of the Year program is also used to advertise our skills since we haven’t been able to field a culinary arts team to compete at Fort Lee."
McFarland emphasized that high-quality food service plays a critical role in maintaining unit readiness and morale across the force.
"It is about morale and nutritious foods," McFarland said. "It allows our NCOs and Soldiers to use their creativity to enhance meals for the customers in the dining facility, which in turn gives those Soldiers something to enjoy."
Novak and Reyes-Cruz will now prepare to represent the division at the I Corps Chef of the Year competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, 2026. Winners at the corps level will advance to the U.S. Army Pacific and ultimately the Department of the Army levels.
In addition to the winners, Spc. Newman, representing the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, competed as one of the division's finalists.
The 11th Airborne Division Food Service has announced that the next quarterly competition is scheduled for the first week of October 2026.