Renowned chef shakes up Fort Sill Top Chef Culinary Competition

An Army marches on its stomach is an old adage for a reason.

As internationally renowned chef Robert Irvine said to the competitors in this year’s Fort Sill Top Chef Culinary Competition on Wednesday at the Guns and Rockets Dining Facility on post, the culinary specialists who feed them have the most important job in the military by feeding their fellow service members.

Competing were three members of the 75th Field Artillery Brigade: Sgt. Mateo Valentine, from New Jersey; Sgt. Romanei Williams, from Jamaica; and Sgt. Panthamad Khempronna, from Thailand. Their mission was to take the ingredients in the day’s mystery baskets and make the best dish they can in an hour.

Specialist Kichelle Raab won last year’s competition. She knows what it takes with a mystery basket featuring lamb chops. Her advice for the competitors was simple.

“Have fun, relax, just show off your creativity and show your motivation,” she said.

In her 13 years in the Army where she’s risen to the rank of Dining Facility Manager, Specialist Chakale Joseph knows the pressure to feed an Army and do it fast for large numbers while working with the materials at hand. She chose the ingredients for Wednesday’s competition: bison, quinoa, figs, pre-cooked rice and fresh vegetables, along with a rack filled with spices available to the chefs. She noted that bison is a very lean meat.

“When I think of bison, I think of baking steak; you give it a good sear and then get it in the oven,” she said.

Irvine arrived and greeted the day’s contestants. He’s a big man with an even bigger presence.

“Who will be champion?” he asked with his boisterous and very British accent. “I hope you’re ready for this.”

Internationally known for his work appearing or hosting Food Network programs including “Dinner: Impossible,” “Worst Cooks in America,” “Restaurant: Impossible,” “A Hero’s Welcome,” “Operation Restaurant,” “All-Star Academy,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Iron Chef,” “Chopped: Impossible,” and “Restaurant Express,” Irivne knows what it’s like to be a chef in the spotlight. He decided to up the stakes for the day’s event with a quick announcement.

“Bear in mind, I am going to throw you a curveball. Ready?” he asked before answering himself. “3, 2, 1, rules just changed, you’ve got 45 minutes.”

That means the contestants had to figure out their mystery basket, how to cook it and then prepare it and plate it in 15 minutes less than expected. Improvise and conquer, they say.

Joseph said her troops could handle it.

“It’s not their first rodeo,” she said as the trio of culinary artists rushed to get started.

The Guns and Rockets kitchen was filled with cameras and commentators as the event was live-streamed. Joseph and Keith Pannell, deputy director of Fort Sill and Fires Center of Excellence Public Affairs Office, served as commentators roaming the kitchen and talking with Irvine while the chefs did their thing.

Irvine’s newest restaurant is called Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine and located within The Pentagon. He began his culinary career as a 15-year-old cook in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. He said his connection to service members is strong and he makes around 150 visits to posts and bases around the world annually.

One of the subjects Irvine is most passionate about is getting the military to look at food in a different way and recognize its importance. Restricting menu items is a key thing he believes should change.

“It doesn’t allow for enough creativity,” he said. “I call food ‘hope,’ it builds morale.”

Irvine noticed the three contestants had no experience with cooking bison. He noted that the leanness of the meat meant imbuing it with fat would help it cook without toughening it into shoe leather. Immediate marinading was something missed by the three chefs, he noticed.

“This has to be the main focus,” he said. “The meat is the star of the show.”

When the 45 minutes passed, Irvin joined Sgt. Major Ryan Brazill and Col. Stephen Walker at the judging table to taste the dishes. Irvine said he wouldn’t be a pushover.

“I am not an easy judge,” he said, “because I want them to be the best they can be. I’m judging you like I would on ‘Iron Chef’ or ‘Chopped’ or anything else I do.”

After tasting the trio’s three different dishes and scores were tallied, Williams’ meal of bison, risotto and salted asparagus took the top prize. It took a few seconds for the news to absorb as he looked at Irvine with an expression of shock and awe.

“I went for it and I’m glad I did, I came out victorious,” he said. “I didn’t expect to win.”

Williams had just missed out on winning Non-Commissioned Officer of the Month shortly before the competition; he came in second. He said this was a big day in his three years and two months as a soldier’s chef so far. That’s why he joined. He has plans when his time in service is over.

“I dream of starting with a food truck. I’d like a restaurant but I want to start with a food truck when I move back to Washington,” he said.

As he prepared to take in more aspects of life on Fort Sill, Irvine said highlighting these men and women who serve is his biggest motivator and joy.

“I live and breathe … to make the men and women of our cloth of the nation’s lives better,” he said.