Ranger named No. 3 pastry chef in world
Photo courtesy of American Culinary Federation Master Sgt. Mark Morgan prepares a dish during the World Association of Chefs Societies, Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg from Nov. 20 to 24.
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 10:22 am | Updated: 10:28 am, Mon Dec 13, 2010.
A U.S. Army Ranger recently claimed bragging rights as one of the top three pastry chefs in the world. When this tidbit of information leaked out in the Ranger community, the e-mails flowed in from his brethren – the friendly jabbing sort.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten a couple of gut shots, but it’s all in fun,” said Master Sgt. Mark Morgan, laughing.
Morgan, the enlisted aide for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s commander Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, was a member of the American Culinary Federation Culinary Team USA during the World Association of Chefs Societies’ Culinary World Cup competition in Luxembourg Nov. 20 to 24. His team claimed two gold medals in the hot-food portion and cold-food display categories, and Morgan was also recognized as one of the top three pastry chefs in the world.
Morgan, a member of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team since 1997, was the only Army-trained chef and the first American service member selected for the ACF Culinary National Team USA. His selection could be described as a twist of fate, since he wasn’t one of the original team members. But when the assigned pastry chef dropped out two months before the competition, Morgan’s name came up as the one to fill the gap.
“I’m not as good as I used to be – it’s been 10 years,” the Bronze Star recipient said, referring to the past decade that he served in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He deployed twice to Iraq and four times to Afghanistan in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
But it can be said that he must have left quite the lasting impression among those in the culinary circuits, because he previously competed in the WACS Culinary World Cup in 1998, 2000 and 2004 as a member of the Army’s culinary arts team. Morgan continues to remain in touch with ACF coaches and managers.
“Networking (is) probably the reason for the ‘name drop,’” he said.
His peanut butter ganache earned him third place among 55 pastry chefs. Morgan also prepared four desserts, which together, were called “Pumpkin and Spice”. They included a spiced pumpkin custard; walnut cake inside a coconut blossom; red currant compote; and a cinnamon beignet on poached pumpkin petals, a trio of cranberry, and honey, yogurt and pumpkin sorbet with a pumpkin-thyme essence.
Managing Gen. Dempsey’s household and grounds is a full-time effort, but Morgan squeezed in weekend opportunities to meet up with his team at various locations across the country to practice for the competition. Although he came in more than halfway through the team-building process, the team welcomed him with open arms, and Morgan likened his role to “plug and play.”
“Definitely meshed with the team, and we got along great. We clicked, as if the sun and moon and stars had aligned … working alongside them, I felt a sense of pride, looking up and seeing the American flag on our collars. They admired me for what I did (Army Ranger) as much as I admired them for what they do,” Morgan said.
At the competition, the team was given a “mystery basket” of raw ingredients; in other words, nothing was prepped beforehand. In the allotted time of six hours, they prepared, cooked and served a three-course meal of halibut, lamb and Morgan’s peanut butter ganache.
During the six hours, there were instances when things weren’t going right, and Morgan likened the stress to combat.
“Same level, different task. The only difference is the comfort knowing that this isn’t a war zone.”
The Culinary World Cup is held every four years in conjunction with the Expogast Trade Show, and is rated as second on the worldwide level. More than 2,400 chefs from 53 nations competed in both team and individual categories. Twenty-six national teams and nine national military teams participated in the Culinary World Cup.
To view photos of Morgan’s dishes, visit www.army.mil, and type in “TRADOC NCO victory marks military first” in the search tool.
No comments:
Post a Comment