Sodexo Holds Chef Competition at U.S. Marine Base

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, held a friendly culinary competition at Quantico Marine Base to award the coveted Culinary Team of the Quarter medal. The event brought Sodexo Executive Chef John Selick, a 20-year culinary professional from Cleveland, Ohio, to the Virginia military base to share his food preparation skills and techniques. The program's goal is to give military cooks a chance to take their culinary experience to a higher level.

History of the Culinary Competition
Sodexo launched the Culinary Competition a decade ago at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Base on the coast of North Carolina where Sodexo is the government food service provider. Sodexo Executive Chef Fred Johnson III, a former Executive Chef of Air Force One, is a program advisor for the competition.

"Sodexo has 50 years of experience developing flavor-filled menus and preparing nutritious meals for millions of people around the world," said Johnson. "This competition allows us to share our wealth of expertise so that Marines walk away with more than a medal. They have a connection to a professional chef from the civilian world, and that just might inspire them to take their experience to the next level."

Military Cooks Partner with Sodexo Chefs
In April, three partner teams competed, each one comprised of a military line cook and a Sodexo cook from the base. The teams worked ahead of time to come up with a recipe based on three ingredients chosen by the visiting chef: duck, Yukon potatoes and cauliflower. To give the teams an added challenge, one 'secret' ingredient—pretzels—was announced just before the competition began.

The winning recipe, Pretzel Crusted Tangerine Duck with Duchess Potatoes and cauliflower, was prepared by Marine Sargent Robert Rivas and Sodexo Cook Maria Rodriguez.

Commitment to Food Safety
In addition to judging each dish based on composition, flavor, presentation and creativity, the teams receive a safety score for their work in the kitchen. Part of our commitment to Business Ethics and Integrity includes our commitment to safety. Sodexo's Quality Control team judges the competitors based on food safety and sanitation, including the proper use of utensils, cut gloves, cutting boards and cleaning supplies.

"We judge each recipe not only on appearance and flavor, but on how safe the teams were as they prepared the ingredients," Selick said. "Safety is our number one priority at Sodexo, which aligns with our mission to improve Quality of Life for everyone we serve, including our military heroes and our team members working on military bases across the country."

Sodexo delivers more than 100 services across North America that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life. The Fortune Global 500 company is a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations.

Learn more about the company at its corporate blog, Sodexo Insights.

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SOURCE Sodexo

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