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3rd ID cooks win culinary contest
Culinary contest
Staff Sgt. Veronica Pfister-Solomon, the 139th MP Companys senior food-service specialist, practices her skills for the Army Culinary Competition. Pfister-Solomon won a silver medal and a runner-up plaque in the military hot-food kitchen competition. Her team prepared a gourmet three-course meal in less than four hours using a mobilized kitchen trailer. - photo by Photo provided.

For the second time in three years, 3rd Infantry Division soldiers took top honors as the culinary team of the year at the annual Military Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee, Va.
More than 20 teams from all branches of the armed services compete in the annual event sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation. It is the largest culinary competition in North America.
“You are the No. 1 culinary team in the entire
U.S. Army. That is not an easy competition to win, but I am excited that you did it,” 3rd ID Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mike Murray told the team members during an April 11 awards ceremony. “This is a big deal.”
Led by 3rd ID food-services manager Sgt. Maj. David Turcotte, the Fort Stewart team trained from January to March at Evans Army Airfield’s dining facility. At the contest, the team won the student-skills and field-cooking categories as well as the nutritional hot-food challenge. They faced 234 competitors.
The team now will compete at the 2014 ACF National Convention in July.
In its 39th year, the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition has been held annually with the exceptions of 1991 and 2003, during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The competition showcases the talents of military chefs from around the globe in all branches of the U.S. armed forces.
The members of the Fort Stewart team are:
• Staff Sgt. Veronica Pfister-Solomon, 385th Military Police Brigade
• Staff Sgt. Dianna L. Royal, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
• Sgt. Evin M. Galbreath, 3rd Sustainment Brigade
• Spc. Gregory C. Becker, 3rd Sustainment Brigade
• Spc. Rasheeda Etheredge, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
• Spc. Qwenton Franklin, 3rd Sustainment Brigade
• Spc. Symone Harden, 385th Military Police Brigade
• Spc. William Lewis, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
• Spc. Aaron Vegh, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
• Pvt. 1st Class Nyndia Charles, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
• Pvt. 1st Class Oluwafe Ige, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion
• Spc. Eva D. Kinsey, 3rd Sustainment Brigade
• Pvt. 1st Class Ferney Perlaza, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
• Pvt. 1st Class Karylie Salvador, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team

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