European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sgt. 1st class Jerry Rea grades the pies baked by his students at the  a cooking school at fort Lee a. Nyby Marialisa Calta new York times pvt. Danny Dubois is in training at fort Lee an  Post 40 Miles South of Richmond a. His weapon a boning knife. His Mission Fry a Chicken. A there at the  Scenter for excellence subsistence soldiers learn to Cook. Those who succeed Are classified As 94bs, Cooks in the quartermaster corps which oversees the 41,000 Cooks at the 995  and 4,000  Reserve and National guard mess Halls worldwide. For some the mess Hall is just the beginning Louis Chabot 30, trained As an  Cook and then used his veterans benefits to go to culinary school. He now serves dishes like breast of Duck in wine sauce As chef at the Topnotch at Stowe resort and spa in Vermont. He credits the  with helping him hone the management skills that enable him to head a Kitchen staff of 16. While the  keeps no statistics on Cooks once they leave George a. Herb a retired warrant officer and Cook who works As a military analyst said Many go on to work in the food business. Some like Chabot become professional chefs. Others become restaurant managers a Job that sgt. 1st class Larry Graham due to retire in january is seeking. Walter e. Rhea who retired As a master sergeant in 1985 after 20 years in the  is the chairman of the baking and pastry arts program at Sullivan College in Louisville by. Nick Marino of grand rapids mich., retired As a sergeant first class and became corporate chef for Schelde enterprises a Chain of 14 restaurants in  to feed a battalion or two a in the  i Learned to Cook under some of the Best and worst conditions Quot Marino said. As a member of the  culinary arts team he won a Gold medal in the International culinary olympics in 1984. While stationed in Guam in 1975, he helped More than 300 other Cooks prepare meals for 10,000 vietnamese refugees. Quot we cooked Rice 24 hours a Day Quot he said. To Many of those who can still taste the chipped beef and spam of campaigns past the idea of Quot  cookery Falls into the same oxymoronic category As Quot military  but in the  Good meals Are considered a valuable weapon. Quot food is a tremendous morale Booster Quot Herb said. Quot you cannot underestimate the value of a hot meal in a combat  even in the desert of saudi Arabia he said the  is trying to prepare hot meals of fresh food. For Dubois and other recruits at fort Lee life after Boot Camp begins in the Kitchen classrooms of instructors like Graham a lean bespectacled Man from Clovis n.m., who Speaks in a measured Monotone. On the blackboard is written the  Cook s mantra Quot clean As you go Quot and under that Quot safety  Quot sanitation is primary Quot Graham said. Quot if you have 800 men felled by dysentery it might As Well be the enemy Thal did  Graham introduces the budding Cooks to terms like bake Quot to Cook by dry heat quo Blanch Quot to partially Cook in deep fat boiling water or steam Quot and boil Quot to Cook in liquid at boiling Point 212 degrees fahrenheit in which bubbles Rise and break at the surface Quot. Nothing is taken for granted and it is All in the regulations cooking manuals and recipe cards intended to produce what the  Calls Quot a Standard  Graham will teach his men and women to Cook 23 Quot products Quot in one week. Quot these recipes Are proven Quot he said. Quot they work. You will produce a Standard product if you follow the recipe. Is that understood Quot the recruits nod their closely cropped Heads in unison. Quot yes sir Quot some mumble. Quot we get some students in Here who can to even Cook an egg a the sergeant said. Each Day for a week the soldiers assigned to grahams class Quot Small Quantity cooking Quot present themselves at 8 a.m., when the sergeant inspects their hands and their uniforms before issuing them clean disposable aprons and hats. The soldiers work at their Kitchen stations until 3 30 p.m., turning out dishes like baked fish meatloaf buttered Broccoli and Corn o Brien which is made of Corn peppers onions and Bacon. The atmosphere is one of soldiers at ease not quite casual but informal. Quot they Don t treat us like kids so much like in Boot Camp Quot said pvt. Chad Mcclelland of Slaterville . Quot Here you re More on your own. You re Here to learn something and its More or less up to the individual to a  those who fail the course repeat it and the others go on for eight More weeks of training in baking in mess Hall continued on Page u Friday october 26,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13