Four Sailors from the Navy Installations Command culinary team, the Battle Chefs, were awarded an American Culinary Federation (ACF) bronze medal at the 12th Annual Military Hospitality Alliance (MHA) Culinary Competition at the Barracks Row Fall Festival, in Washington D.C., Sept. 26.

In accordance with the national ACF guidelines, more than 12 teams comprised of four members each were judged based on preparation, presentation, flavor and originality. Judges from the ACF completed scoring sheets for each team and the ones with the most points received awards, with 6 points for bronze, 12 points for silver and 18 points for gold. The Battle Chefs walked away proudly with a bronze ACF medal.

"Not all teams received an ACF medal," said Chief Culinary Specialist Dominique Webb, from Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., Battle Chefs team coach. "The Navy Installations Command team was happy to receive enough points to earn this medal. We look forward to participating again next year," shared Webb.
Each team was allotted 30 minutes to develop a menu, two hours to prepare their dishes, and 15 minutes to plate a four course meal. They all received a list of mystery ingredients that had to be used in developing the dishes which included prickly pear cacti, nectarines, and watermelon radishes.

Battle Chef members included Culinary Specialist 1st Class Nicholas Gagner and Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Lawrence Jasper from Naval Base Kitsap, Wash., Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Beckham, and Culinary Specialist Seaman Derrick Barbee from Naval Base Norfolk, Va.

Team members were selected from shore installation galleys across 11 regions through local culinary competitions held world-wide. From the local competitions teams were selected for the competition. The competition was comprised of 15 teams from various Department of Defense installations.

"The mystery basket ingredients were things we haven't seen or worked with before," said Gagner, team captain for the Battle Chefs.

Other challenges for competing teams included limited table space, no electricity and no running water.
"Our biggest struggle was organization towards the end," said Jasper. "At the end, we had a table full of food."

The teams were graded at every step including preparation, presentation, taste, and cleanliness. The evaluation was completed by outside kitchen judges at the competition tents during the food preparation, and inside judges who evaluated presentation and taste.
The inside judges applauded the Battle Chefs for their creativeness and organization of their dishes by the three judges. The menu items developed by the team, in course order, were a sushi ginger-wedge salad, bacon-wrapped chuck tenderloin, and nectarine crumble.
"At the end of the day, we walked away as a team, and that's all that matters," said Barbee.

"I would love to do this again," said Beckham, when asked if he wants to compete again next year.
There are 83 Navy shore galleys world-wide and approximately 6000 culinary specialists Navy-wide.
For more information about shore galleys and the culinary profession, visit www.cnic.navy.mil
For news from Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cni/
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For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/.