A taste of military cooking in downtown Halifax

Cooking for dozens of people can be stressful for even the most experienced of chefs. But imagine having to feed over 100 hungry troops in the middle of harsh weather conditions in a makeshift kitchen?

That’s the reality for cooks in the military.  It is also part of the inspiration behind an annual cooking competition that partners military cooks with culinary students from the Nova Scotia Community College.

“We’re doing a cooking competition, we’ve got six cooks from the east coast in the military and we’ve also got six NSCC students and we kind of paired up with each other,” Cpl. Valek Dawson said, a cook in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Setting up kitchens in army base camps comes with a unique set of challenges that many military members believe helps bond troops together.

“Propane is what they’re using as their heat source. With the temperatures today it’s a little cool. This morning we had snow flurries. Setting up the trailers on a level property, land and all the surroundings is very challenging. On top of that, getting the food into the trailers to cook is a challenge in itself,” Paul Bromley said, one of the Canadian Armed Forces event organizers.

Nonetheless, the culinary students were impressed.

“I was surprised at how many fresh ingredients we were given, to be honest. If it’s anything like this in the field than that’s pretty awesome. I’m thinking that we’re probably a little spoiled today because they’re treating us civilians easily,” Kelly-Jo Beck said.

Despite the obstacles that come with cooking in military fields, Cpl. Dawson believes the reward of bringing troops together through food is well worth the challenges.

“After you see the guys come in after a long day in the field, it’s nice to see the smile on everyone’s faces when they see a good, warm meal,” he said.