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Several years ago, I managed to score a dinner reservation at the hottest seafood restaurant in Charleston, SC, a madly competitive coastal market, where successful restaurateurs really know their way around a fish. Each dish I tried that evening was pitch perfect, and when I queried the young chef as to where he’d honed his considerable kitchen skills, he smiled and told me that he’d learned how to cook in a U.S. Navy galley.
He represents a major opportunity for a talent-hungry industry. I think of him every year, when I have the chance to take part in the CNIC Culinary Competition held in July at Naval Station Great Lakes, just north of Chicago. The competitors comprise designated U.S. Navy Culinary Specialists (CSs) charged with feeding their fellows, and this year’s program pitted seven teams, six from Navy installations around the U.S. and a seventh representing the U.S. Air Force, against each other in a heated kitchen challenge.
The contest is conducted along strict guidelines that include the American Culinary Federation’s competition standards, which means staggered start times, strict clock management, a market basket of required ingredients, roaming “kitchen bosses” and feverish activity from start to finish. It caps three days of total immersion in the culinary arts, where instruction covers the waterfront from fish and poultry fabrication to sauces and condiments, working with grains, menu writing, plate presentation, achieving nutritional balance and finally, training for the competition itself.
Contestants in the CNIC Culinary Competition race against the clock to win the "best-in-show" designation.
No concessions are made for the lack of experience on the part of the participants. Focused and determined, the teams race against the clock and each other to win the “best-in-show” designation for their menu of two hot courses. And no quarter is given by the judges, accomplished chefs and seasoned Navy personnel, who recognize the critical importance of an attractive galley program and know that the CSs provide much more than food. They play a vital role in the well-being and morale of their diners, many of whom, like their fellow CSs, are away from home and family for the first time
What does this have to do with restaurant operators? According to research recently released by the National Restaurant Association, a stunning 81% of operators currently have open jobs that are difficult to fill. In an industry plagued by turnover and facing the biggest labor shortage in its history, programs like the Navy’s develop a pool of experienced, disciplined foodservice talent adept at navigating a high-volume, high-pressure kitchen and meeting the expectations of a picky, largely Gen-Z audience.
While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that there are now one million unemployed veterans, and a million more who will be separating from the military in the next five years, its Hiring Our Heroes initiative doesn’t specifically address foodservice training or list any restaurant operations as supporting partners.
By contrast, Starbucks stepped up in 2013 and set an aggressive goal to hire 25,000 military veterans and spouses by 2025. The corporation surpassed that number six years ahead of schedule in 2019, at which time it upped its commitment and now plans to hire 5,000 vets and spouses per year going forward. Because Starbucks “values veterans’ leadership skills and job commitment,” the chain bends over backward to accommodate military spouses and significant others who are relocated to new bases by offering transfers to other stores in the system.
Winning teams from the 2022 CNIC Culinary Competition.
An invaluable, perhaps underutilized, resource in this regard is the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. The organization maintains a robust menu of military programs that provide comprehensive training in restaurant fundamentals to personnel in all branches of service, both active duty and those who are transitioning to civilian employment.
Areas of study include the Advanced Culinary Training Program (ACTP) conducted in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America and SkillBridge, a new initiative undertaken this year in cooperation with the Department of Defense that places participants in training, apprenticeship and internship positions in the last 180 days of their service. Its objective is to equip service members with real-world skills pertinent to the front of the house, kitchen management, marketing and branding and more. Trainees are currently being placed with Brinker International and Inspire Brands.
Speaking of resources, there was a touch of karma to this year’s CNIC Culinary Competition, where one of the judges was Derek O. Small, himself a former U.S. Navy Culinary Specialist. After retiring from a successful Navy career, he has been active in the American Culinary Federation, Wisconsin Restaurant Association and the NRA’s ServSafe training program among other endeavors. More to the point, Small is currently the Director, Military Programs for the N.R.A. Education Foundation, a position he attained last December and to which he brings a wealth of hands-on experience in navigating the change from military to civilian life.
One last thing: The dishes to which Small and his fellow judges were treated spoke well of the effectiveness of the training effort. Among the savvy, restaurant-worthy dishes created by the neophyte culinarians were Deconstructed Salmon Ceviche with cilantro-lime dressing, Yukon Gold Potato Cake with sweet-chile boom boom sauce, and Braised Chicken with spiced coconut freekeh.
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