Oceana Hosts Chili Cook-Off

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Hampton Roads Sailors competed in the annual Fleet Week Chili Cook-Off aboard Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex, Oct. 13.

The cook off turned into a "battle of the galleys," with NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex, Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Naval Station Norfolk, USS Ross (DDG 71) and Culinary Specialist "A" School sending teams to try to bring home the top awards including plaques, money for their Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund and bragging rights.

"It was awesome this year; lots of great enthusiasm, lots of great spirit, teams put lots of work into making some great chili," said NAS Oceana Commanding Officer Capt. Bob Geis, who helped judge the cook-off.

"This is one of the best events I do all year. I've been coming here for about 15 years," said head judge Terry Ward from the Peppers Lovers Club.

This year's chili cook-off was hosted by the Jet Observer, the Navy's official newspaper for Oceana, Dam Neck and NALF Fentress.

"We were thrilled to once again host the cook-off. I was extremely impressed with the teams this year. Not only was there great tasting chili, but all the teams were so engaged with the crowd. Everyone was having such a fun time," said Laura Baxter, publisher and general manager of Military Newspapers of Virginia, which publishes the Jet Observer and The Flagship, among its other papers.

First on the line of 15 commands that entered was the NAS Oceana Hornet's Nest Galley, whose culinary specialists welcomed everyone with "Wild West" chili. The team was led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wayne Cummings, Oceana galley officer, who dressed the part of the sheriff, complete with a fake mustache and beard.

His team showed up at the softball field at 6:30 a.m. ready to cook their recipe. They were presented the Big Dipper award, selling the most samples of their chili and earning $300 for their MWR fund. Following the cook-off, the judges discovered third place for best tasting had been mistakenly awarded to another command instead of the Oceana galley, who were the actual winners. So their efforts earned the Oceana galley yet another award.

The Dam Neck Galley by the Dunes brought out their best mountain man attire, complete with plaid flannel shirts and fake beards as they served up "Lumberjack Chili." Their display matched their enthusiasm with the brand new chafing dishes and serving utensils the team broke out for the competition.

"We brought everything we need to make this an outdoor galley," explained Culinary Specialist 1st Class Jason Lowry.

Like their costumes, the chili was hearty with its blend of ground beef, ground pork, several varieties of sausages, peppers, onions, and a few secret ingredients.

"But there's no liquid heat whatsoever for its spiciness," said Lowry.

Their "Chili with a Kick" earned third place in the most original category and $100.

If there would have been a prize for the team who travelled the farthest to compete, it would have gone to the Center for Service Support Learning Site aboard Fort Lee, Va. After a top finish in the 2011 competition, the team from Culinary Specialists "A" School drove for nearly two hours to compete again this year.

Their theme of "Game On," came complete with a large screen TV for watching sports while sampling their chili. As Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Ashley Rivera added more ingredients to the chili at the back of their tent, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Matthew Susienka and Fire Controlman 1st Class Dario Hurron served up samples to the steady line at the booth.

"We train these guys, so it's great to come out and see a lot of them here and see what they've been up to," explained Susienka, an "A" school instructor, about the other culinary specialists. The team from Fort Lee didn't leave empty-handed; they took home second place and $200 for the best tasting chili.

With Halloween just around the corner, it wasn't hard for teams to find costumes and props, and teams went all out as they competed for the showmanship award.

"This is one of the best years we've ever had with the showmanship," said Ward about the variety of costumes and entertainment at each booth.

There was "Dead Zone Chili," cooked up by Scudder Hall, the galley aboard Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. Promising potential tasters their stew was "chili to die for," they lured brave visitors past the tombstones, yellow caution tape and body parts strewn in front of their booth to taste their hearty chili that included beans, beef and sausage, as well as a side of chips and cheese. The team assured visitors that none of the body parts strewn in front of their booth were really used in the creation.

Serving up "Organic Chili," was the team from Ross who promised potential tasters their spicy chili was made from real organs.

"This is a lot of fun for us. We look forward to doing events like this. It's fun to go outside of our daily routine," explained Culinary Specialist 1st Class Marcin Puszczalo.

The ship used a sneaky tactic to pull in or scare potential tasters. As visitors approached their booth, a hand reached out from under the table and grabbed the unsuspecting victim. For the team of five, their second year of competing at the event proved to be their most successful as they took home both the showmanship award and first place for best tasting.

The chili cook-off was about much more than tasting great stew. The "Giant Killers" at FACSFAC VACAPES brought along a cornhole game to keep visitors entertained as they served up chili samples. The team of five used a sporting theme, complete with their own "replacement ref" with his very loud whistle to draw attention to their chili.

A DJ played a variety of music and offered eight free tickets for the sampling to anyone who would lead the crowd in various dances or be able to answer some trivia questions. There was also a pumpkin patch, where for a small charge, children could select and decorate their own pumpkin to take home.

As the winning teams collected their awards, many of them were already planning for their next competition - the chowder cook-off, being held as part of the Fleet Fest, Oct. 20, aboard Naval Station Norfolk.

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For more news from Naval Air Station Oceana, visit www.navy.mil/local/oceana/.