McConnell Air Force Base chefs host cooking competition

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Chefs at McConnell Air Force Base put their skills on the line Wednesday in a cooking competition held in the base’s Chisholm Trail Dining facility.

KSN News talked to several competitors who say they do the SHEF every quarter.

“SHEF stands for salute, hospitality, epicurean, face-off. In this competition, they basically receive secret ingredients from the mystery box,” Tech. Sgt. Leon Brown, McConnell Air Force Base assistant dining facility manager, said.

“Oh, it’s just a chow hall. They serve slop, but we have a lot of healthy options. Everything looks good. We always make sure that our food tastes good. We always make sure that we are told a standard, too,” Sgt. Rontera Powell, McConnell Air Force Base food service superintendent, said.

Competitors received a mystery box of ingredients to prepare their cuisine.

“When I saw the Funyuns, that’s what threw me off,” Airman 1st Class Aaron Wright, a competitor, said. “It was very, very stressful. But it’s a lot of fun.”

The dining facility was recently selected as one of the top food service programs in the Air Force.

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