At the March monthly meeting of the USS Thermopylae the very first cooking competition in history (well, at least the history of the USS Thermopylae) was held. The format was similar to that of the holodeck program “Chopped” where there are three rounds (appetizer, main course, dessert) each with its own set of secret ingredients. In every round the dish must include the usage of every ingredient.
We started with four chefs… LT Harmony Nakada, renowned region-wide for her wonderful salads, breads and hearty side dishes; COMM Peter Christian, an acknowledged expert at feeding 4-11 year olds and never getting a complaint; MCPO Tod “Boats” Sturgeon, the purveyor of fine pastries that have been used to bribe fleet admirals; and CPO Jenna Weibe, most widely recognized for her healthy meals, snacks and desserts. These four gathered in the galley, no replicators, limited pantries and above all … limited time to prepare. The battle was ready to be waged!
The judges were the famous Italian chef CMDR Rosa (Rose) Mattison, the master caterer LT VickyJeanne Shepard and the epicurean hero FCPT Joe Fuller (the skipper loves to eat!). They sat in quiet (well, not really… “Boats” was providing the vino for the judges…) anticipation of the delights that they were about to sample.
The secret ingredients, maintained under strictest code purple security, were chosen by the emcee of the event, FCPT Cathey Fuller. She ruled the kitchen and the timer with an iron thumb!
The first course was the appetizer round. The secret ingredients were parsnips, coucous and turkey bacon. The chefs raced around the kitchen gathering ingredients and preparing their dishes. As time ran down they plated their offerings and presented them to the judges for their opinions and scores. The round went to MCPO Tod Sturgeon for his awesome presentation in the form of a Greek Lambda. The scoring was very close, however LT Harmony was transported out of the galley and into the audience.
At this point I would like to thank MAJ Dennis Jones for his superb help in the galley. MAJ Jones insured that all plates, cookware, etc. were clean and ready for the next round, that the grill was scrubbed and prepared as well. Well done sir, and thank you from a grateful crew!
The next course was the entrée. FCPT Fuller showed her devious side by providing beef steaks, pineapple, sweet potato and Roma tomatoes. The chefs scrambled around the galley once again! Spices flew into the air, Boats thrashed through his pantry seeking spices from Riza that he knew would give him victory, Jenna and Peter confidently sautéed, fried and stewed their way to the plating and presentation. When the dust, excess spices, aromas and alcohol fumes (thanks again Boats) settled COMM Christian was found to be the winner and Boats found himself transported to the Goat Locker. (He found his secret spices AFTER the competition was over!)
That left CPO Weibe and COMM Christian facing off in the dessert round. The ever devious and creative emcee FCPT Fuller revealed the secret ingredients for this round… coconut milk, raspberries and tortillas! Neither chef showed any panic as they viewed their ingredients for the round. (They may have been shell shocked, it was hard to tell at this point!) They immediately dug into their secret reserves (that they shared with each other by the way) and commenced their final creations. Peter made an empanada like dessert with various chocolates and mousse like creations using the raspberries and coconut milk AND the coconut oils. Jenna made a chocolate custard with raspberry foundation, containing the hidden delight of a liquor soaked tortilla.
The judges had their work cut out for them in this final round. After deliberation and scoring COMM Peter Christian was judged the winner and CPO Jenna Weibe was transported to the Goat Locker with MCPO Sturgeon.
This ended the quarter elimination round for Q1. There will be additional competitions in June and September. Then, at the December meeting we will hold the first ever, anytime, anywhere “Latinum Chef” competition where the winners of the quarterly qualifiers will compete for this prestigious title.
I would like to thank the competitors, the judges, our delightful emcee and our cleanup crew headed up by MAJ Jones. Without everyone’s participation and cooperation this event would not have happened. I am very much looking forward to reporting on our subsequent events!
FCPT Joe
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