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FORT HUACHUCA — It was noisy.
The sounds of banging pots and pans filled the kitchen at the Thunderbird Dining Facility Thursday as soldier cooks scurried, preparing for the noon meal.
In one small crowded area, chef Brian Dragos held a mini culinary court, while what could be described as military apprentices watched as he displayed tricks of the cooking trade.
Chef Brian, aka Chef Dragos, first discussed the different types of cutlery, from small to large knives that become tools of art in the hands of a professional.
 Chef Brian Dragos trains Army food service specialists Thursday in the kitchen of the Thunderbird Dining Hall on Fort Huachuca. (Mark Levy Herald/Review) |
Going slower than he would normally in an actual work environment where preparation time is critical, he showed nearly a dozen soldiers of the 11th Signal Brigade’s 86th Signal Battalion how to and how not to handle a knife — always careful not to put one’s fingers under a fast-moving blade. The corporate chef for Nestlé Food services of North America displayed his dexterity in preparing a variety of finely chopped vegetables, such as celery, carrots and onions, as a soup base.
A second-generation chef, his 30 years of experience ranges from hotels to clubs to consulting for major food providers.
Although he never served in military uniform, one of Chef Brian’s jobs was sailing with the U.S. Navy training galley crews aboard military supply ships.
His other military association was with his late father, a former Army mess sergeant who served one tour in the military during the Korean War and went on to become a chef under whom he began his apprenticeship as a young boy. Back in those days Army cooks worked in a mess hall. Soldiers involved in such duties are now called food service specialists and work in dining facilities.
As for how he got into cooking, he said he was looking for some additional allowance and his father put him to work in his civilian kitchen from when he was 11 until he turned 14.
Standing around a rectangle steel preparation table, Chef Brian continued with his “knife skill training,” including the art of edible garnishes.
There is an adage in the food preparation circles that “you eat with our eyes before you eat with your mouth,” he said.
To him, presentation of a course must be an artistic and pleasant sight to whet the taste buds for the flavors associated with the dish.
Many things can be used as edible garnishes, and in no time he took jalapeño peppers and strawberries. With a few quick slices, he was able to fan them or have them free standing to go with a dish.
Then it was time to carve a cantaloupe. Holding the melon up, Chef Brian said he could see a rising phoenix or a swan.
In his early days, he admitted, he would draw lines on a piece of melon before carving it. But now, Chef Brian took a knife, making surgical-like incisions and pulling pieces of fruit away until there was a Phoenix rising.
He told the soldiers a large piece of fruit isn’t needed to do it. He did the same thing with an apple, with slightly different cuts.
Spc. Christopher Martin watched the chef work.
Trained at the Army’s food services school at Fort Lee, Va., Martin said he was initially assigned to an infantry unit where he did little cooking.
Now that he is assigned to the 11th Signal Brigade, the soldier said he is finally “learning to cook in a DFAC (dining facility).”
The Thunderbird Dining Facility is the only one on post to which soldiers are assigned.
The goal of Martin and other food service soldiers at the Thunderbird is to ensure the food they prepare is what other GIs want to eat.
And presentations are important, Martin said.
“We need help with garnishes,” he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Monaco McGee, the dining facility manager, invited Chef Brian to the dining facility to give a class.
McGee met the chef when he came down on a sales trip for Nestlé. McGee said he immediately saw someone who would be able to provide his soldiers additional training.
“He’s a certified teacher,” McGee said of Chef Brian. “I liked the way he presented himself (one the sales trip).”
There is a movement to re-establish a Fort Huachuca Culinary Team to compete in Armywide programs. The Thunderbird Dining Facility fielded teams in the past, with post soldiers winning awards at the annual Army competition at Fort Lee.
Of the soldiers he taught Thursday, Chef Brian said that in a large kitchen staff they are all qualified to be a line or banquet cook, and a couple already have the ability to start the process to be a sous-chef.
He specifically mentioned Sgt. John Hamlin, who probably would need just a little more training to become a second chef in a large operation. On Thursday, Hamlin, who listened to the chef’s presentation, was busy decorating an Army birthday cake that will be cut on Tucson NBC television affiliate KVOA-4 today by Col. Jasey Briley, the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca chief of staff, in honor of the Army’s 233rd birthday on Saturday.
As for McGee, the chef said he could easily step into the position as catering and banquet manager for a major operation in the civilian world.
Saying he hopes to return to the fort to do more teaching, Chef Brian remarked he would like to work the different functions in the dining facility, including the serving line, to watch how the soldiers do things, so he can provide suggestions based on his background.
“I’m hoping to come down at least twice a year,” he said.
Herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or bill.hess@svherald.com.
Profile of Brian Dragos:
Brian Dragos is an award-winning chef, with a number of chef of the year honors that include American Culinary Federation Resort and Country Club Chefs, Chef of the Year for 1999; Sysco Food Best Chef in the West for 1999; Servico Hotels, National Chef of the Year for 1996; and Radisson Regional Chef of the Year for 1991, 1993 and 1996.
A certified executive chef, culinary educator and food and beverage manager, he served as the senior chef instructor for a contractor working with the Military Sealift Command, spending time on ships teaching galley crews.
After an apprenticeship starting with his late father, the second-generation chef continued his training in both classical French and German styles, as well as building a repertoire of classical, indigenous Mexican and North American flavors.
He is currently the corporate chef for Nestlé Foodservice of North America, providing hands-on demonstrations of the company’s products, which include recipe development, for schools, colleges, hotels and food processors.
