Students battle it out during ‘Iron Chef’

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Anne Gathua
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Armed with chopping boards, knives and a secret ingredient, eight teams of students fought a cooking battle during the month of April at the Crossroads Student Center.

The 'Iron Chef' themed event, with teams from the 17th Training Group and the 344th Military Intelligence Battalion, was originally an idea of a prior student.

"Some of our students are actual professionals who worked as chefs prior to joining the military," said Chaplain (Capt.) Joel Kornegay, 17th Training Wing. "Some of the students love cooking while for others it's a way to relieve stress."

With two students per team, the first round was held April 16. Crossroads provided the teams with basic ingredients including meats, fruits and vegetables and a secret ingredient. If a team needed an extra ingredient, they had to send a runner to the Commissary.

Airman 1st Class Nichole Houdek, who coordinated the event, said they had two teams competing against each other at a time and they were given an hour to prepare three dishes. The secret ingredient was revealed 10 minutes before the competition.

The judging panel made up of base personnel, based their decisions on taste, originality and creativity.

"They talked to the student chefs about their inspiration and gave constructive feedback at the end of the judging session like true professionals," said Chaplain Kornegay.

Four teams advanced to the second round and two weeks later they held the semi-finals where the winning teams advanced to the finals.

The finals, judged by Col. David Rearick, 17th Training Wing Vice Commander, his wife Whitney, and Col. James Forrest, 17th Medical Group Commander, saw a 315th Training Squadron team take the prize.

"The secret ingredient for the final round was Spam and the winning team made a Spam sandwich with mayonnaise and pineapple," said Chaplain Kornegay. "They received a $20 Cork and Pig restaurant gift certificate."

The chaplain added that the event was an opportunity for students who love to cook to compete against each other and to get base awareness and participation from senior leaders.

"Having the senior leaders interact with students was a really great opportunity and good exposure for the students who were really appreciative," he said.

Airman Houdek, 315th Training Squadron, said the competitions went amazingly well and the contestants were creative, innovative and dedicated.

"It was a lot of fun and the crowd and judges enjoyed it," she added.

The chaplain said the event was a success and they plan on holding it again in the future.

"We got great feedback from the senior leaders that attended and the students really enjoyed the competition," he added. "The judges were impressed with the students' skills."