Wallace Judges Inaugural U.S. Navy "Iron Chef" Competition
The first U.S. Navy Iron Chef competition for the culinary specialists' community was held at the 32nd Street galley, Naval Station, San Diego, on November 6, 2008. Nine teams from across the country competed and were judged by a panel of chef judges including:
Charlie Ayers, former executive chef for The Grateful Dead and Google; Keith Darling, corporate executive chef, Basic American Foods; Christopher Day, Mercer Tool; Ed Glebus, CEC, executive chef, San Diego Marriott; Brian Malarkey, executive chef, Oceanaire, ; and a recent finalist on Bravo TV's "Top Chef"; Brandon Parry, PCEC, U.S. Navy; Dean Thomas, CEC, CCE, executive chef, Barona Valley Resort & Casino; Candy Wallace, chief executive officer, APPCA.
Each team representing Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) clubs, ships' galleys and ashore galleys had three hours in which to prepare three entrées and sides of starch and vegetables. Three "secret" ingredients were prepared and presented with high flavor and presented in hotel pans for line service. Skills and knife work were judged, as were safety, sanitation and nutrition.
"It was an exciting competition for all participants," Wallace says. Winners received an array of prizes, from trophies to professional knife kits, culinary textbooks and chefwear. The first-place team was the U.S.S. Nimitz (CV-68); the second-place team was Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
Congratulations to the winners!