Walking through the double doors onto the floor there is an aroma in the air. It's is not a typical smell that one would think to find entering a fitness center.

The smell of garlic, roasted cashews, pan-seared duck, candied sweet potatoes and butter-tossed brussels sprouts all hit the nostrils at once. The sound of chefs saying "a little more salt" and the chopping of onions almost makes one feel like they have just walked into the kitchen of a restaurant. No. They have just walked into the Joint Culinary Training Exercise (JCTE) at Fort Lee, Virginia.

The JCTE is the largest American Culinary Federation (ACF)-sanctioned competition in North America, with military chefs from all branches of the U.S. armed forces around the country, as well as international military members from Germany, France, Canada and the United Kingdom.

At the JCTE, military members use the different competitions as morale boosters, in-depth training and a priceless experience.

Stafford T. DeCambra, the ACF president and lead judge at the JCTE, said that participating in this event does wonders for the military members' spirit.

"For the military members who are here for the first time, they build a lot of self-esteem and confidence," said Stafford. "We are trying to teach, mentor and nurture these young [service members]."

Whether one is a military chef or a civilian chef, they all become a family at the event, said Stafford.

Along with building morale and camaraderie, honing the various skills that go into being a chef is a large takeaway from this event.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Alicia Lawrence, who oversees the Navy team in the competition, said that commands get a big return on investment by participating in the exercise.

"They learn different knife skills and how to work with different foods," said Lawrence in reference to the competitors in the contest. "Food is a culture and there are so many different varieties that you are exposed to in this competition."

The service members that participate in the exercise are able to take the knowledge and skills they have been taught back to their command and give the crew a taste of their new-found finesse.

Roland E. Schaeffer, an ACF-approved culinary judge and a chef consultant at the JCTE, believes that the exercise is a priceless experience for those who participate.

"We are not here to criticize. We are here to help," said Schaeffer in regards to the judge-participant relationship during the competition. "We want to make them better cooks, better professionals. I have seen a lot of cooks here that make connections for when they get out of the military, and line a job up for themselves from this competition."

A prime example of someone using this experience to gain exposure is Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Steven Cholewka, a Navy representative from the Hawaii detachment.

"Hopefully winning this will open up some doors for me in the near future," said Cholewka, who plans to obtain his su chef certification upon his return to Hawaii.

Cholewka won three gold medals in the contemporary cooking competition during the JTCE.

The competition ran March 10-15 and the award ceremony was held on March 16. The Army Hawaii detachment won the Culinary Team of the Year, with the team representing the Coast Guard finishing as the runner up.

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