I receive many emails from junior cooks and potential recruits asking what they need to do to become Chefs in the Military. Example:

“I am currently attending the California Culinary Academy. I am interested in being a chef for the Military. I want to serve my country in the best way I know how by serving them great food from all around the world. I am 18yrs old started the CCA when I was 17. I have been working in restaurants since I was 13yrs old. I got my first sous chef job when I was 17yrs old. I may be young but I have an old soul. Thank you for taking time to read my letter.”

In my humble opinion, this is the route you should take if you wanted to become a Chef in the Coast Guard. What do you think? Am I out of my mind?

Warning: The first four years of service will be hard. You will need to keep a good attitude while working in an environment that will test your patience.

The first step is to inform the recruiter you would like to be a Food Service Specialist. Ask about any bonuses they are offering recruits who want to cook. If you have a culinary degree ask about the bonuses they are offering recruits with culinary degrees. This is the only time you will be able to grab this bonus. If you ask about it later it will be too late.

Once you are in the Coast Guard and have completed Food Service Specialist school, apply for the Coast Guard Culinary Team. For the first five years of service stay on boats until you get your Cuttermans pin (a pin worn once you have completed five years of sea duty). Wearing a Cuttermans pin proves you have paid your dues and no one will doubt your service. If you decide to go the Chef route, the Cuttermans pin will help you advance and give you the respect you deserve for your service to the Country. During this time start working on your Hospitality Management or Culinary Arts degree.

Next step is applying to cook for an Admiral. If you’ve done a good job as a cook in the Coast Guard you should be picked up fairly quickly. While cooking for Admirals stay on the Culinary Team, finish your Associates in Hospitality Management or culinary arts, become a certified Chef though ACF, work a wide variety of part time jobs in the civilian food service sector and promote yourself to E7 or above. Once you’ve completed all this you will be a chef and more IMHO.

Now to take the step to Executive Chef and make your self extremely marketable on the outside, I recommend you add the following to your to do list. Certify yourself as an Executive Chef through ACF, earn a Bachelors in Hospitality Management, and run the Culinary Team for a couple years as Captain or Team Manager.

Some great jobs in the Coast Guard for a Military Executive Chef: COTR of the Coast Guard Academy (multi million dollar colligate food service contract run by civilians), Chief of any large MWR club, Senior Enlisted Special Command Aide (Head of all Admirals Cooks), Head Chef for the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, Vice Commandant or Commandant, Officer in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security Executive Dining Facility, Chief Food Service Instructor at the Food Service Training Center, instructor at the Army's Advanced Culinary School, and Chief at one of the FSAT’s (Responsible for providing oversight and training of a large group of units). These jobs can provide the opportunity for a Military Executive Chef to enhance and display their Culinary and Hospitality Management skills, provide experience in all aspects of running a catering company/banquet hall, and expose the chef to the civilian upper managment side of non commercial food service.