Culinary Combat: Sailors Compete in Navy Cook-Off at NAS Oceana

VIRGINIA BEACH — Culinary sailors from across the East Coast traded feeding hundreds from their galleys for fine dining with local chefs at the 15th Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Culinary Competition this week.

Smoke billowed from grills at Naval Air Station Oceana as sailors raced to plate ribs, clams and roasted corn. Others carefully wiped plates before presentations. The nine teams from the Navy’s mid- Atlantic region — including New London, Connecticut; Newport, Rhode Island; bases in Hampton Roads and the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth — spent much of the day Thursday prepping several courses for a panel of judges.

Using predetermined ingredients for the challenge, sailors needed a soup or salad, a main dish with a starch, a vegetable and a dessert. They also had to create a tasting platter with portions for about 10 people.

This year’s theme was Virginian Luau, and teams received whole chickens, baby back ribs, ribeye steaks, salmon filets, Eastern Shore oysters, clams and fresh vegetables. The groups, each with three sailors chosen from their respective galleys, had four hours to complete their meals before presenting them to the judges. Scott Cooper, regional chef for the mid- Atlantic, said the teams received training before the competition, and sailors who attended got to showcase their skills, network and collaborate with other galley teams.

“We want to provide training for our culinary specialists because they go from ships to shore, and vice versa,” Cooper said. “Their training included chicken fabrication, shucking oysters, outdoor cooking, food safety, cooking on grill, outdoor desserts, indoor desserts and food science, to name a few.”

Competitors also battled the elements. Morning wind gusts and a chance of rain threatened to make the outdoor cook-off even more challenging.

Culinary Specialist, First Class Jasmine Reynolds, competing with Naval Air Station Oceana’s Dam Neck Annex crew, said her team was first to present to the judges. The Dam Neck team prepared a clam tartar on a crisp chip for their starter with the entrée featuring smoked salmon with tempura pineapple, seasoned fried rice and a jicama salad.

A key lime panna cotta with a mango coulis and a coconut graham crumble completed the meal. She said the panna cotta was one of the more challenging parts of their menu, since the dessert (a sweetened cream thickened by gelatin) can take four hours to set.

Reynolds has competed in several Navy’s culinary competitions. In March, she competed for Pastry Chef of the Year as part of team U.S. Navy at the Joint Culinary Training Exercise. The competition brings together teams from all branches and components of the Department of Defense.

“I love it,” she said of the competitions. “I like to challenge myself and try different things, and I want to see how others (in the competitions) are thinking. Are we thinking alike? How are we thinking differently? I love boat feeding, but I also love fine dining.

“We can feed 500 people breakfast, lunch or dinner, but here, we’re preparing four little plates and it takes the same amount of time. We want to make sure it’s the right size and that everything is precise.”

Reynolds and her team placed second, and the team representing Oceana’s galley placed third. The first-place team, sailors from Naval Submarine Base New London, will compete at the Commander, Navy Installations Command culinary competition in Chicago. They will compete with the winners of other U.S. regional competitions and teams from bases overseas.

“It’s a lot,” Scott said of Thursday’s event. “Some of the other Navy regions, when they do their competitions, they tend to do it inside, and it’s a one-day event. They provide a little bit of training, and then they do their competition. We turned ours into something that’s more incredible.”

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