Navy Chefs Sweep Las Vegas
Personal chefs in the U.S. Navy win top awards and medals in annual cook-off
SAN DIEGO, April 4, 2007 – Four personal chefs, all culinary specialists (CS2) in the U.S. Navy, earned medals and accolades at the 8th-Annual Las Vegas Culinary Challenge held during the Las Vegas Restaurant Show/Hospitality Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 6-7.
Michael Edwards, Tom McNulty, Brandon Parry and Cameron Savage practiced as a team during time off from enlistment duties, yet competed individually in Las Vegas for American Culinary Federation (ACF) medals in several categories. Parry’s fish entry — blackened-inspired snapper served with macque 
choux, collard and Swiss chard greens with ham hock, and mini-skillet cornbread — was judged Best of Show in the competition and earned a silver medal in the fish category, which was also the highest medal awarded in that category. Parry received a cash prize of $400.
Edwards earned second Best of Show mention and won a bronze medal in the chicken category with his sage chicken supreme served with spinach/goat-cheese ravioli and braised shaved fennel with sun-dried-tomato coulis. He also won $250 for his effort.
McNulty and Savage — each of whom is a certified executive household manager (CEHM) and enlisted aide in the Navy — won bronze medals in the chicken category, McNulty for his roasted breast of chicken with wild-mushroom/Irish whiskey pan sauce, and Savage for her tequila/lime chicken breast served on blue-corn polenta.
All four Navy chefs are certified by ACF as personal chefs. Parry, a First Class Petty Officer serving as an enlisted aide/private chef for Vice Admiral James Zortman, Commander of Naval Air Forces, is certified as an executive personal chef (PCEC). Indeed, he is the first Navy chef to earn that distinction. McNulty, Parry and Savage are stationed at the home of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet in San Diego, while Edwards, a Second Class Petty Officer serving as sous chef for the Secretary of the Navy Mess, is stationed at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
“I can’t tell you how proud we are of the chefs who are serving their country and chosen industry through participation and example,” said Candy Wallace, executive director of the American Personal & Private Chef Association, the premier organization of which the four Navy chefs who competed in Las Vegas are members. “One of the judges asked the team where they would be competing next so he could follow their careers. It was a proud moment for the team and for all personal and private chefs, as well.”
Mial Parker, a certified executive chef (CEC) and certified culinary educator (CCE) who teaches at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, Calif., volunteered as the Navy chefs’ coach. The judging jury was comprised of six ACF-certified master chefs.
The American Personal & Private Chef Association (APPCA), founded in 1996 as the American Personal Chef Association, promotes the “business of doing business” as a personal or private chef through ongoing peer interaction and education while fostering professionalism in all aspects of cookery. Through its Institute and education partners, APPCA offers sound training in establishing successful and fulfilling careers. For more information on the American Personal & Private Chef Association and Institute, visit www.personalchef.com.
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Navy Chefs CookUp Victory in LasVegas Culinary Challenge