WEBVTT

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- [Christy] The 43d Annual Joint

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Culinary Training Exercise, held at Fort Lee, Virginia,

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is the largest American Culinary Federation competition

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in North America.

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The event was administered

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by the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence

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and showcased over 250 military chefs from around the world,

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including international teams from Canada, Germany,

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France, and Great Britain.

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^- It's an opportunity for all of them to compete,

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^not against one another,

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^but they compete against industry standards.

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They have to do it to a time, where at home,

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we take all day to make a meal,

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they have time limits to prepare the meal,

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they have time limits to cook the meal,

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and they have a time limit to present the meals.

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- [Christy] The chefs are judged on preparation,

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cleanliness, nutrition, and presentation.

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The event helps increase readiness for our men and women

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in uniform and enables the chefs

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to demonstrate their talents to the public.

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^- We are artistic as well as elegant in our own way.

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A lot of people have a perception that armed services,

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they just make mass meals.

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A lot of people don't see the other side

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of what we do as culinarians.

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They don't see that we are able to make elegant food.

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- This is what you have to really appreciate.

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When you are eating any of the various

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military services' dining facilities,

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how much is really put in preparing them to give you

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a delicious meal, how safe their cooking is,

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how much pride they really take

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into giving you the best product they can.

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- [Christy] After seven days of prepping, cooking,

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and of course some yummy tasting of the food,

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the judges are ready to recognize

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the talents and hard work of the chefs.

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Various awards are given at a ceremony

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to acknowledge the cooking talents.

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56 gold medals, 135 silver medals,

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141 bronze medals, several trophies,

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and even a few scholarships are presented to the chefs.

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However, (audience cheers and applauds)

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Team Hawaii, for the fourth year in a row,

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is awarded the Culinary Team of the Year.

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Reporting from Fort Lee, Virginia,

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I'm Staff Sergeant Christy Dispennette.