MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Avocado was the theme ingredient June 3 when six teams of Airmen culinary specialists met to battle for top honors in the Warrior Chef competition at the Elkhorn Dining Facility.
Working as two-person teams, the chefs had one hour to prepare and present their meals. All food had to be made on site from scratch using only raw ingredients stocked by the dining facility. Five teams from the 341st Force Support Squadron, representing the fitness center, dining facility, and alpha, bravo, and charlie flights, and one team from the 819th RED HORSE Squadron competed.
The chefs hustled to meet the deadline, frenetically chopping, stirring and blending as approximately 40 spectators crowded around them in the kitchen to cheer them on.
The event marked the return of Warrior Chef as a quarterly competition and the first such event held since all missile field chefs were reassigned to the 341st FSS in February. The Air Force Association volunteered to fund the program through fiscal 2014.
The competition yielded a bounty of avocado-infused entrées. There were chicken guacamole wraps, avocado salads, avocado drinks and even avocado ice cream.
As the chefs completed their presentations, they brought samples before a panel of judges to review. Col. Tom Wilcox, 341st Missile Wing commander, Col. Jeff Johnson, 341st Operations Group deputy commander, and Airman 1st Class Maya Sivak, 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron member and representative for AFA, lent their cultivated palates to the judging. Meals were scored based on taste, appearance, creativity and use of the theme ingredient. The dress and appearance of each chef team was also included in the tally of points.
Ultimately, the fitness center team won the day. Staff Sgt. Shari Elliott and Senior Airman Renee Murray dazzled the judges with a trifecta of pan-seared salmon with avocado pesto sauce, shrimp avocado salad and avocado-blueberry smoothies.
"We wanted to be fitness all the way," Elliott said. "It was something healthy for every dish. Avacodo was a great surprise ingredient for us. We know avocados are the thing right now for fitness and health."
Warrior Chef recognizes Malmstrom's culinary experts for their superior performance on duty. It also enhances their culinary proficiency.
"I've learned a lot since I've been in Services," Elliott said. "It actually strengthened up my skills to cook like this. It's great to show our talent.
"We get to try new stuff and prepare our own cool little dish," Murray said. "It was pretty neat. I liked it."