March 4, 2025
Several dozen Prince George High School students were able to see some of the best culinary masters create spectacular meals and incredible visual pieces during the 49th Annual Joint Culinary Training Exercise event at Fort Gregg-Adams on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
The annual event, held over several days at the military installation's MacLaughlin Fitness Center, is administered by the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence and serves as North America's largest American Culinary Federation-sanctioned competition. During the showcase, more than 200 military chefs from around the world in all branches of the U.S. armed forces and four international military teams.
During their visit, PGHS students could tour tables featuring prepared foods, including pastries, chocolate confections, grains, and an assortment of meats and side dishes. While there, the students could see chefs prepare meals and go through the intricate and often artistic process of plating foods for eventual scoring. They also met the star of the popular Tubi streaming show "Kitchen Commando," featuring former U.S. Army Master Sergeant and White House Chef Andre Rush, who drew a line of students and chefs alike wanting photos and a chance to chat with the renowned chef.
Beyond-the-classroom experiences like those offered through field trips to the culinary exercise event are a key pillar of Prince George High School's career and technical education teaching.
"Being able to have our students come to Fort Gregg-Adams and see the culinary exercises is such a great opportunity for our students," Ashton Girolmo, PGCPS' Coordinator of Career and Technical Education, said. "We have been increasing our co-curricular career and technical student organizations, and we have our Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America organization at the high school led by Ms. Lindsey Martin, who helped to spearhead some student interest that falls into her career cluster. We have heard so much about this event in our community, and it's wonderful for our kids to be part of it, see it up close, and experience things happening right now in our backyard."
Over the year, students regularly take part in unique opportunities, including career fairs, exploration sessions, and other experiences that allow them to interact with professionals across a broad range of sectors. The culinary exercise expedition to Fort Gregg-Adams Tuesday morning adds to the growing list of experiences available to PGHS students.
"This is about seeing the culinary industry up close and personal," Girolmo said. "This is about showing our students how what they have been learning in class ties into real life, and this event is a great example of that. It's also fun for them to see its competitive aspects, which is very exciting to them. We see many of these types of competitions on television, so it's a great opportunity for our students to see how these professionals are showcasing their skills."
Participants in the Joint Culinary Training Exercise are afforded the opportunity to earn ACF certifications, a recognized industry-standard credential. These credentials help the chefs provide better service to their customers in dining facilities and acceptance in the civilian sector once service members transition out of the military.
"Being new to Prince George County, I wasn't aware that Fort Gregg-Adams had such a great culinary program, and I am excited about exposing the culinary training exercise event to our students," Dr. Wayne Lyle, PGCPS Division Superintendent, said. "I know one of the wishes of the Prince George County School Board has been to provide a culinary-focused experience for our high school students, and events like this could be a great way to potentially partner with Fort Gregg-Adams to provide valuable training and experiences to our students in the future."
For more information about PGCPS' Career and Technical Education program and offerings, visit the division's website at https://www.pgs.k12.va.us/apps/pages/CTE. For more photos from the 49th Annual Joint Culinary Training Exercise, visit our website at http://www.pgs.k12.va.us and navigate to the “PGCPS Photos” menu, or visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/princegeorgeschools.