The Ghana Armed Forces Catering Training School (CATS), in a bid to showcase the culinary skills and talents within the military, has held the second edition of its cooking competition and food bazaar.
The event was held at the school, located at Addico Square, a parade ground, the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Whistler Barracks in the Teshie Camp, in Accra.
The annual event, according to Major Michael Oppong-Kumesi, is a platform used to display and market the culinary skills and talents within the military and its civilian establishment as well as attract others, both soldiers and civilians into the field.
“The essence of this competition is to unearth the skills amongst the military chefs,” Major Michael Oppong-Kumesi, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in an interview.
“It is believed that as older trees grow, young ones also germinate under them; so, it is an opportunity for us to lure others to join the catering profession in the armed forces so that we will keep on sustaining soldiers both in the field and barracks,” he said.
Major Oppong-Kumesi further said: “…We have other course packages for civilians in our catering school. We are affiliated with Accra Technical University and CTVET. We have modules for the civilian public and the military public, so it is a dual prong approach.
“Our door is open; we are friendly and ready to partner any civilian establishment that will come our way”.
The Commandant of the Tri-Service Training School at TRADOC, Brigadier-General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulenu said the competition formed part of efforts to sharpen the working skills and knowledge of military chefs.
“The catering school instituted this annual competition to beat the best chefs from the Army, Navy and the Airforce against each other to demonstrate their high level of skills and expertise in this chosen trade of theirs in the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.
Participants of the cooking competition and food bazaar were military chefs drawn from the three main branches of the Armed Forces: The Army, Navy and Air Force.
They represented some of the various units, namely the 48 Engineers Regiment, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) among other units.
The cooking, done in two batches, involved forty-nine military chefs who participated in the cooking along with their helpers.
The programme was graced by experienced chiefs from the Chefs Association of Ghana including its their President, Isaac Sackey, who together with others served as judges of the competition.
The chefs who represented GAFCSC namely Lance-Coporal Mary Afrakomah, Lance-Corporal Emmanuel Larbi Ankrah and Lance- Corporal Mary Deku were adjudged the overall winners.
Chefs from TRADOC and 48 Engineers Regiment came as the first and second runners up respectively.
The Ghana Armed Forces Catering Training School is the only authorized unit within the Ghana Armed Forces that train military chefs to provide culinary and hospitality services, cook for, and deliver food to service personnel; both on the battlefield and in the barracks.
