By Shannon Haney OFFICE OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS, NAVSUP FLEET LOGISTICS CENTER PEARL HARBOR
The Navy Food Management Team (NFMT) from NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor hosted the sixth annual "Top Chef" Culinary Competition at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Nov. 21.
Four commands participated in the competition, which was designed to promote camaraderie within the Navy culinary community and showcase the teams' talent and expertise.
Guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG 97) and USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93), guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73), and JBPHH base dining facility Silver Dolphin Bistro all sent culinary teams to the event.
“Competitions like this reinvigorate my love for the culinary specialist rating,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Robert Gabales.
The teams had just 60 minutes to create five portions of one appetizer, one main entrée, and one dessert. The theme was "holiday meal" and the teams were required to use ingredients from the approved prime vendor catalog.
“We are competing, but there is still camaraderie between the teams,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Teika Albury. “Having the freedom to be creative and creating our own menu was the best part of the competition.”
The teams chopped, boiled, and fried their ingredients. Then one by one, as the entrées were completed, the teams presented their creations to a panel of judges.
Judges for the event included members from NAVSUP FLC Pearl Harbor’s NFMT. In evaluating the meals, each judge carefully tasted every dish and judged them based on three criteria: creativity and teamwork, taste and wholesomeness, and food and plate presentation.
"I am extremely proud of the team's performance," said Culinary Specialist Submarines Senior Chief Brandon Ramos, NAVSUP FLC Pearl Harbor NFMT. "They all express a true passion for the [culinary specialist] rating and work well together.”
Although all teams presented strong entries, the team from USS Port Royal won the competition for the third consecutive year in a row with a shrimp skewer with ‘aftershock’ sauce appetizer, prime rib with bacon wrapped asparagus and red skinned potatoes main entrée, and an apple and bananas crepes sprinkled with powdered sugar dessert. USS Halsey came in second place, and third place was Silver Dolphin Bistro.