# Military Chef



## slipp000 (Feb 2, 2016)

So Im planning on joining the Navy as a Chef (UK) because I want to travel and meet new people while Im still young (21). Ive got 2 years of restaurant experience and love the work but tired of my current lifestyle/location.

Has anyone on here been a chef in the forces or know about what I can expect from it?


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## seabeecook (Aug 23, 2008)

I can only speak to the US Navy. Expect lots of hard work and long hours with low pay. You will have duties other than the galley. In the US Navy to cooks (called culinary specialists) also operate the barracks on shore stations and the wardroom on ships. You will have military assignments as well. For example, I was a member of a gun crew on one of my ships. I was the damage control petty officer for the supply division on another ship. Those duties were performed after hours. In the Seabees I was a mortar crewman, squad leader and other duties not related to food service. Also expect long periods away from home. I hope this helps.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

I don't know about the UK ... but the U.S. military provides an absolutely competent culinary program. It's also so easy that you don't even need to think. You do things the way you are told ... and you do them correctly. It's a beautiful thing. It's such a beautiful thing that whenever I had spare time, and I didn't need to sleep, I'd spend it in the mess hall where I could do stuff, when I could. When you get out, which you shouldn't do until they force you, you'll be able to walk into any kitchen anywhere and be at home. I've been to both ... the military is better than the CIA ... because they pay you to be there. You've never got to spend your own money ... you've always got somewhere to eat and sleep ... you get to see the world ... you've got free health care ... _YOU GET PAID_. It's like better than Mom's house.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

That's funny. Were you a recruiter? I was a cook in the US Army for twenty years. Yes they pay you, house you and feed you, but you also have your military job too. Team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant etc. Cooking school is very basic. Doesn't compare to CIA. It does have a advance Culinary month long course if you can get your chain of command to send you. Be on your game and MAYBE you can cook for generals,personal chef on private planes,cook at the white house. This all depends on the type of unit you are in and your chain of command


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

OK ... So since _SOMEBODY_ gets to cook for the top-brass and such ... what did I say that was wrong? I also said I've been to both ... the CIA and the military. I have absolutely NO Problemmo claiming the military to be better. You can retire very well from the military. You can't retire from just going to school. _Everyone's profession is exactly what they make of it ..._ whatever it is that they choose. I wasn't even a culinary person ... and I had a great time doing it.

_NO ... I'm not a recruiter._

_"We work in kitchens ... It ain'te rocket surgery."_


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## youngchefkarl (Dec 12, 2013)

LOL at the military training being better than the CIA.

I'll take the guys word for it who was a cook in the Army for twenty years over somebody who visited the mess hall. 

The army might be the better deal for an individual because of reasons that were stated (room and board, pay). CIA is not cheap. That depends on the person. But to argue that the quality of the training is better? That's ludicrous. The CIA has classes on things that the military would never touch on.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Whatever, Grasshopper. I said I went to the CIA, if you didn't read that part. A big hot-shot CIA education guarantees you nothing. YES, you should know everything there is to know coming out of the best school ... with a ton of debt. I got into, and did real well @ the CIA because of what I knew from having "visited the mess hall". I don't know anything from Mr.GI-Joe 1-post Army Man. He might have lots of experience. What I'm saying is that the military is a career, with lots of potential ... and the CIA still only gets you a $12/hr job ... if you're lucky.

Please ... Do whatever makes you happy. The CIA Has a bunch of very famous alumni. Good luck with becoming one of them.


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## nauticus (Aug 26, 2016)

I have a very close friend who was a military cook/chef in the Canadian Forces, and I agree that they do have an excellent culinary training program. 

I think that if the argument is that military culinary training, on a content basis, is superior to that of a reputable culinary arts institute, then I think that is generally false - a reputable culinary arts institute simply will teach you a lot that the military doesn't have to. 

On the other hand, if the argument is that the military culinary program is a very good and realistic career option for many people who can't or don't want to pay for a reputable culinary arts program and who are seeking a career from the get go, then I absolutely agree with that.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

My experience was with the Swiss Army, just the basic 17 wk basic training. We never stayed in one kitchen for more than a week, we cooked in tents, backs of trucks, in the snow, in the sun, in a lot of air raid shelters, and sometimes even in the barracks kitchen. We had to deliver meals to various outposts as well as officers, we had to be quick, and had to move kitchen within a 2hr period.

While I never learnt much about cooking (other than how to make canned food more palateable) I learned all about comminication, organisation, how valuable relationships were with the quartermaster as well as the motor pool, and how valuable good equipment can be. All of this prepared me well when I had my own catering company ten years later.

Experience is experience. The more you get, and the more varied it is, the better off you will be.


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## seabeecook (Aug 23, 2008)

foodpump said:


> ... While I never learnt much about cooking (other than how to make canned food more palateable) I learned all about comminication, organisation, how valuable relationships were with the quartermaster as well as the motor pool, and how valuable good equipment can be. All of this prepared me well when I had my own catering company ten years later. ...


I gained valuable experience in contingency operations in the US Navy (both in the fleet and in the Seabees). This summer at the camp I had to deal with a water shortage (water filter issue in the camp's water treatment plant), power outage (local electric company issue) and propane outage (kitchen tanks ran out of gas). Experience teaches you to think on your feet, consider options and take steps to get the meal out on time. During the propane outage, I baked coffee cake (with a hint of Kingsford!) in our BBQ pit.





  








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seabeecook


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Aug 30, 2016


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

I went to CIA also,and yes if you are slow or don't position yourself in progressively complex positions with more responsibilities in different aspects of the food industry your career will be slow.Yes it will take about 12- 15 years. Cooking in the US Army if you make Brigade Sergeant Major, you will have to be in for 30 years and make what a Sous chef makes in 5-7 years


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

LOL. Another report from a person _THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY CLUE_ about the economics of military cost of living. "Mr.2-Post". 

NO sous anywhere ... outside of _"Fantasy Island"_ is making 30-year E9 pay. 

Oh yeah ... that _"Brigade Sergeant Major"_ rank doesn't even start until 2017. 
_Try getting your facts right._​


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

OK average Sous makes 48, non command SGM makes 50 at twenty years. Anyway, if you want to go into the military, great. Just know if you want to be a chef, you have to do that mostly on your own after your off work. https://www.army.mod.uk/rolefinder/role/26/logistic-support-chef/


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Look at arm.mod.uk it shows you what you can to towards being a chef


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

OK 20 year SGM makes 50. Average Sous makes 48. If you want a lot of satisfaction and a little towards retirement the military is good. Just remember retirement pay will only go so far unless you put in at least twenty and make SGM. Otherwise go back to work. If you still want to be a chef after the army you will have to depend on the extracurricular classes to give you a head start. You will have to learn fine dining. That means another 15- 20 years I'm assuming


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

The seebee is right on! Same for the army just ground pounding stuff(infantry). The military will give you a one up on management and how to think on your feet.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Cooking in the military translated to civilian is the equivalent of institutional cook. prison or retirement facilities. Retirement chefs usually have to have knowledgein accordance with dieticians


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Going to Culinary arts schools, you should do a couple of years line experience in a fine dining restaurant first to get the most out of it. Know that Escoffier started the kitchen brigade. So there is the military headset. Be proactive in your job and career. Being a chef takes years to build a knowledge base. Learn what you can in maybe fine dining, then hotel/resorts maybe or vise versa. Banquets, catering ,street food,bbq,charcuterie


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Sorry got off track. Oh yea man have fun. You can Always find a girl that like man in uniform. Drink some Guinness for me. You can get from one side of Europe to the other pretty easily and fast by train.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

P


Don Rich said:


> Cooking in the military translated to civilian is the equivalent of institutional cook. prison or retirement facilities. Retirement chefs usually have to have knowledgein accordance with dieticians


Bullsh*t.

Armies are mobile. Prisons and old folks homes are not. 
Army cooking presents a ton of logistical problems that no prison or insitution will ever have. Its the Chefs job to deal with it.

I suggest putting on a uniform and experiencing it for yourself.


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## seabeecook (Aug 23, 2008)

foodpump said:


> P
> Bullsh*t.
> 
> Armies are mobile. Prisons and old folks homes are not.
> ...


He's right @foodpump ... yes, armies are mobile, and as such, the logistics aspect of the job is multiplied. But the services have that all figured out. The cook doesn't have to re-invent Class I resupply in the field. All he has to do is to learn the logistics system, the field kitchen equipment and the different field rations (A rats, B rats, MREs, UGRs, T rats, etc. (I'm dating myself now!)). I think what he's saying is army cooking best compares to institutional cooking (prisons, hospitals, schools, etc.) rather than restaurant cooking. When I worked for the California prison system, we had a high percentage of retired US military cooks, including myself.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_Monthly basic pay amounts are rounded to the nearest U.S. dollar and are for the active components of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard._

E-9 w/ 20-years makes $5805 / month. ... $69,660 / year.

E-9 w/ 30-years makes $6968 / month. ... $83,661 / year. 

That does NOT include cost of personal travel reimbursement if needed.

That does NOT include monthly housing assistance of +/- $1,550 / month.

That does NOT include NO FREAKIN' PAYMENTS for healthcare.

_Don Rich ..._ You don't have CLUE #1 about what you're talking about. 

If you've got any brains whatsoever ... you CAN learn LOTS of good culinary stuff in the military service to your country. If however ... _you're a freakin' idiot_ ... you'll be peeling potatoes, scraping pans and stacking boxes of MREs.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Chill IceMan.  I was only in the kitchen as a KP.  I'm no idiot but I did a lot of peeling potatoes, scraping pans and stacking boxes of C rations.  I made the first Sargent made at the beginning of  Basic and did lots of KP.  I did this for about $80.00 peI  month as I remember.  The military is something you can't really understand until you have been there.  O by the way do any sous you know of carry a rifle?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Nah, no rifle. The Swiss being Swiss, all of us kitchen guys HAD to have a s.i.g. 9mm pistol on us at all times, I mean they'd do snap weapon inspections while we were making breakfast. 'Course, they'd only issue us ammunition at target practice.....


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

OK iceman let it go jeez.how long does it take in the civilian sector to make 69,000 versus in the military and what skills are transferrable to your next job to make more? I know military cooks(speaking from experience) get out and find they have to start all over again as far as cooking goes if you want to keep cooking. Military cooking is equivalent to institutional cooking in the private sector


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Listen to seebee he is right on.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Oops sorry Seabee. Oh and I was a cook in the Army for twenty years.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Iceman remember I did twenty. OK I didn't know how much a E-9 makes. Yea I know I and anyone married or living off post gets separate rations, housing allowance medical and dental treatment he works. We can go on and on about pay. How long and when were you in the military? What makes you think any Culinary school can teach you everything you need to know. That's ridiculous. How many countries and cultures and styles of cooking there are out there. You would have to go to school for ever to learn so much. It's an unending learning process. I was taught in the army cooking school to be a cook. They taught me how to make biscuits, meatloaf ,brown gravy and what they called white gravy. So in a fine dining I would be screwed except for learning quick breads and brown rue. No sauces, stocks, ratios, meat cutting, short dough's, polish or biggas, fumes, the list goes on. Their baking recipes once I got to regular duty stations were good. But they were fazed out. Alit of things when I retired were already made for us. Bake chicken, pot roast, baked fish precut and frozen, bagged fries, premade burgers, breads, once in a while we would have s mess sergeant that would have us cut up bottom rounds and do stir fry on the griddle, or make double layer sheet cakes( premade cake mix), premade frostings, a diluted version of butter cream frosting maybe. Maybe hot rolls from scratch or sheet pies with canned filling,i can go on forever with the simplified versions of food we made in garrison. I deployed to Iraq two times. Each for 18 months, the first time the first three months special forces did security on ATVs for us for three months eating MREs and having to piss and shit in a hanger too many snipers.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

After that Kellogg brown and root committed piracy hiring Goan Indians to cook for everyone and we did jobs like filling water tanks ,pulling gate guard duty, inside security duty, please prison guard duty, mounted patrol duty, body and wreckage recovery. Once the civilian ran dining facilities were up and running we supervised operations there and began cooking for our assignef or attached units. From team to battalion size. We would drive with them outside the wire. Rotate in and out the wire cooking unitized group rations, t rations and ugrA rations. A is real food supplementing canned food. That usually meant rice, fruit, or salad MN if you wanted to cook real food for them you had to get to know where to get it on other bases or make deals with the cavillians to get it. Sometimes you get to use it and sometimes you can't because of missions the soldiers you support don't have time for it. If you have three cooks and 159 people to feed and you get your food, download it, prep it and cook it and an hour after you get the food your told to serve in 30 minutes. That's half an hour to prep and cook enough food for 150. I don't think so. Hence MREs, trays or ugrA. If you get your food in the middle of the night you push your self and your cooks 1/12 days straight to give the guys some real food. You don't get fresh herbs fresh meat(frozen) time or equipment for stocks, you don't have saute pans, you use half and third pans. You buy out if your pocket sent from home spices and equipment.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Second time in Iraq was crazy, improvised explosive devices that was either buried beside the roads or in the roads. Half the time we cooked in Iraqi towns feeding our infantry guys,the us infantry. We had a new expandable trailer to cook out of. Week out cooking week in the perimeter to drive trucks outside the perimeter to give sheiks in Iraqi towns barriers to protect their markets from being blown up. Then back and forth cooking and driving for 18 months straight. Sometimes 1 1/2 days straight driving sometimes only 12-14 hours , the back to cooking. Down time was get on the phone maybe get to hang out for 3 or 4 hours before you have to start prepping for your next mission outside, when you don't have to pull guard duty or drive pallets of water to concrete pads for the the soldiers in side the wire. Either sleep for 8-9 hours between missions eat MREs or sleep 2-5 hours and try to act like you have a life and find your buddy's play cards and bulshit and eat at the civilian ran dining facilities. Before you start prepping for you next mission. Hope this gives you an idea of military life deployed. Non deployed decompress, readjust to the tempo being slower, get back into school and save your money, cause unless you make sergeant major or more or go at it as a officer, if you don't get an education alit of military jobs don't transfer well into the private sector. Sure there are some but cooks is not one of them. If you make a career if the military get you house before you get out and invest wisely to supplement your military retirement. Go back to work unless you can milk the military on disability. But then you have to play the disabled game. You lose your disability pay if you violate you profiles. I know iceman is going to beat me up on that one[emoji]128514[/emoji] some of your disabilities they can't touch and some they can. You can write a book about that one. Dont do the I'm crippled pay me game.


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Take care of you body while your in take vitamins for your joints like msm ,glucosamine. Work out your back to minimize the damage from road marches. Wearing body armor and back packs or rucks or mollies. Whatever they call backpacks now. You may depending on your assigned duty may have to carry from 35 LDS to 110 plus. Motormen got it the worst. You get I don't remember but like every three years you get paid to buy new uniforms. It covers enough to get a uniform socks underwear t-shirts and a few other things and the rest you pay out of pocket. If you single an e-4 or below you live in the barracks. Some places treat them like apartments others treat them like military barracks. You get assigned cleaning duties pull charge of quarters duty in the middle of the night. Not allowed sleepovers, over certain amounts of alcohol, outside cleanup details. If or when you make sergeant or staff Sergeant if in the contiguous US you MAY live off post and will get sesperate rations(you get paid to feed your self), and housing g allowance based on your rate of pay, like what iceman was talking about.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

If you read the o.p.'s original post, he said he's a Brit, and wants to go in the (British) navy.......


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## don rich (Jun 1, 2015)

Right[emoji]128515[/emoji]


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