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Every year, the military services participate in a nutrition competition as part of the Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Lee, Virginia. For the event, a two-person team prepares a four-course meal that doesn’t exceed 850 calories. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathanael Dyjak is a culinary specialist. He was there to test his skills, learn from the masters, and take that knowledge back to the submarine on which he serves.

Culinary judges taste-test a dessert.
Taste Test
Chef Roland Schaeffer tastes the Island Dream Dessert entry of Army Sgt. Aqueelah James while judging the practical and contemporary hot food cooking/patisserie category at the 41st Annual Military Culinary Arts Competitive Training Event at Fort Lee, Va. March 7, 2016. James, who earned a silver medal in the category, used the influences of her family heritage from the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Dominican Republic as inspiration for the dessert.
Photo By: Timothy L. Hale, Army
VIRIN: 160307-A-XN107-066E
A chef pushes berries through a strainer while another chef works behind him.
Straining Berries
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathanael Dyjak, a culinary specialist, pushes a berry mixture through a strainer during the nutrition portion of the Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Lee, Va., March 12, 2019. In the event, two-person teams prepared a four-course meal that doesn’t exceed 850 calories. The exercise, administered by the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, is the largest American Culinary Federation-sanctioned competition in North America. The exercise showcased the talents of more than 200 chefs from military services around the globe to include three international teams.
Photo By: Dani Johnson, Army
VIRIN: 190312-A-ER536-013E

Video by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sean P. Gallagher

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