Job Description of a Guard Chef
"The army travels on its stomach," observed Napoleon Bonaparte, and cooks play an essential part in keeping soldiers strong, both in peacetime and wartime situations. For civilians, the picture of food in the military may be limited to cartoons about "K.P." and veterans' complaints about field rations. The following description of food service jobs and training in the Army National Guard, however, will show that military cooking provides creative opportunities that keep soldiers healthy and enables Guardsmen to move into the growing hospitality industry as well.
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Requirements
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Food service specialists must first meet initial enlistment requirements for the Army National Guard: age 17 to 42, high school diploma or GED, physical exam, and ability to meet Guard legal and moral standards. Enlistees must meet citizenship requirements and have a valid driver's license. Physical requirements include normal color-vision and the ability to lift heavy objects.
Previous experience does not have to include cooking or food service experience, although the Guard seriously encourages a serious interest in these subjects because training is both extensive and thorough. Food service training is conducted during 9 weeks of basic training. Trainees divide their time between specialist training and basic soldier skills. During training, specialists become proficient in cooking skills like baking, roasting, ingredient preparation, menu planning and execution, serving, food safety, and sanitation.
Personal attributes that will contribute to successful training include good physical stamina, tolerance of deadlines, ability to work quickly in cooperation with others...and creativity and enthusiasm for producing attractive, tasty meals. Head chefs need the ability to supervise others and coordinate all aspects of meal preparation.
Challenges
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"Creativity" may seem an unusual descriptor of someone feeding soldiers three times a day. The Guard, however--like all military food service organizations--actively encourages creativity within the limits of available provisions. Good and varied meals contribute to military morale as well as health and nutrition. Using seasonings or ingredients that remind soldiers of home makes isolation and hard work more bearable. A profile of a Guard chef responsible for feeding troops at a Kansas military post stresses how his previous culinary experience and creativity contribute greatly to daily meals--the spare ribs may not come from a barbecue pit, but they taste like it. A former military cook, now cooking for a New York child-care center, demonstrates daily his abilities to turn standardized recipes into delicious food that children and teachers eat with great enthusiasm. The Army National Guard, like the rest of the US military, clearly wants good cooks and is willing to train them well whether--as Guard recruitment materials say--cooks are feeding 25 soldiers or 2500, in stateside locations or in field kitchens.
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Work Day
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Food service specialists begin the day early to provide three well-cooked meals. Fresh ingredients need preparation. Even while breakfast is being served, vegetables are chopped for lunch and dinner. Rolls and other breads are set up for baking. Specialists prepare ingredients for special diets and allergies, while working toward the main courses of lunch and dinner. The day ends with final cleanup, storage and any preparation needed for the next morning. Work shifts are determined by the number of specialists and the number of soldiers. Prepare for an energetic, long day as a food service specialist.
Benefits
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Food specialists qualify for excellent enlistment benefits. These include a signing bonus of up to $20,000, paid training in skills useful both in the Guard and in future civilian life, and monthly pay. Education benefits range from assistance in obtaining a GED to up to 100 percent tuition assistance for college and other post-secondary education. Further, Guard enlistees qualify for retirement benefits and life insurance.
Potential
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Guard training prepares soldiers for careers beyond military service. An Army National Guard chef emerges with solid references and professional-level experience that can lead to restaurant, hospital or hotel food service management positions. Employers hiring a Guard food service specialist can expect a cook or chef who knows all aspects of kitchen work and management, menu planning, menu execution, quality and quantity control, and food safety standards. All those qualifications--combined with Guard standards of responsible performance--constitute the building blocks of a truly professional career.
Further Information
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Get started by visiting your local recruiting station or call (toll-free) 1-800-GO-GUARD. The official Army National Guard Website is listed in our Resources section.
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