Gabrielle Govan remembered the looks she received when she returned to other classes from culinary class at Deep Creek High School.
Students may not know what class Govan came from, but the smell could tip them off.
Onion soup.
Other foods cooked in class produced an odor, but none quite like the onion soup.
“It was anything, but (most) distinctively it was the onion soup,” Govan said.
Govan, born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Chesapeake, can trace her love of the culinary arts back to high school classes and cooking, particularly during the holidays at home.
But Govan, 26, didn’t imagine she’d be honored for her work in the kitchen. That’s just what happened in early September when an Army culinary team with Govan advanced through the 54th Annual Philip A. Connelly Awards Program Competition at the 1st Infantry Division’s home base at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The event pits culinary teams from across Army Forces Command for a competition that includes setting up an entire field kitchen and serving meals. The teams had to set up a mobile kitchen trailer within 30 minutes, and Govan said her team did it in 24 minutes. She said the biggest challenge was making sure the food temperature was correct, particularly when they were outside.
The team had to make Philly cheesesteaks and Korean beef, among other dishes.
“People honestly loved the Korean beef,” Govan said. “It was actually pretty delicious, and the way they garnished it made something out of nothing and made it pretty special.”
The September competition began at 4 a.m. and lasted until 2 p.m. After winning, Govan’s team will advance to the Army-wide finals in January. The team has about 12 members from across the U.S.
Being part of a culinary team wasn’t necessarily a goal for Govan, is a culinary specialist in the Food Service Operations division. She joined the Army when she didn’t know what to do with her life. Cooking was a passion, and she wanted to travel and experience more culture.
“I joined because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” Govan said. “I wanted to do something honorable and meaningful to make my family proud and as a steppingstone so I can look back at something and be proud.”
Govan originally enlisted for three years, but she reenlisted in April for another four years. She’ll be getting a change of station in February to Fort Drum in New York, which is about 30 miles from Canada.
Govan said future plans are starting to come into focus after entering the Army without an idea for a career. She wants to become a chef and keep growing as a cook; perhaps, own a culinary school.
Despite the growth in the kitchen, Govan doesn’t have a fancy favorite dish.
“I’m a sucker for mac and cheese,” she said. “But I’m very picky about it. You have to make it right or I won’t eat it.”
