A warrior and a chef

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Magen M. Reeves
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  
The 341st Force Support Squadron hosted the third quarter Warrior Chef Competition June 22 at the Elkhorn Dining Facility.

"The Warrior Chef Competition is an opportunity to challenge our chefs," said Tech. Sgt. Aron Mueller, NCO in charge of missile feeding operations. "Today we have two missile chef teams and one dining facility team competing."

Col. Ron Allen, 341st Missile Wing commander, Col. Jay Folds, 341st MW vice commander and special guest Jim Mintsiveris were the judges for the competition.

Attendees were encouraged to watch the chefs race against the clock preparing a meal from scratch with a secret ingredient and limited provisions.

"We start planning at least two months before the date of the event," said Mueller. "NCOICs of missile feeding pick what the secret ingredient will be for the competition."

The secret ingredient for this quarter's competition was cranberry sauce.

"All food must be prepared from scratch on site the day of the competition," said Staff Sgt. Anthony Usher, training manager of missile feeding. "The themed ingredient must be used to prepare the main entrée. The ingredients available are identical to those at an actual missile alert facility. Teams have 60 minutes to prepare and present their entrée to the judges for scoring."

The judges, along with approximately 30 attendees, huddled in the kitchen and cheered on the chefs as they prepared their competition dishes.

"They get to show how creative they can be in the kitchen, especially with the challenge of the secret ingredient," said Mueller.

This quarter's winning team included Airmen 1st Class Alisha Hubbard, Lekeya Lindsey and Nikko Songalia, all missile chefs with the 341st FSS. The team made a chicken fajita dish.