by Ryan Labadens, U.S. Navy Public Affairs

The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, has been making great strides to improve the quality of life for its Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and other civilian and military personnel who live and work here, such as the newly revamped Colmer Dining Facility that just reopened this April after nearly three years of renovations.

In that same spirit of pursuing continuous improvement, the Colmer Dining Facility staff have been working on improving their culinary skills by receiving mentorship from an American Culinary Federation (ACF)-certified chef for two weeks. From August 1-12, Chef David Bearl taught Navy culinary specialists the skills they need not only to become better cooks, but to learn the proficiencies needed to help them advance both in their military careers and in the civilian world whenever they decide to separate from the service.

While Bearl serves as Associate Professor at the University of Florida both in Regional Food Systems Education and the Program for Resource Efficient Communities, he got his start working in the food service industry cooking in various restaurants over the years. Over time he received several different certifications from the American Culinary Federation, having passed the requirements to become a Certified Chef de Cuisine (or Head Chef) and Certified Culinary Educator, and he was accepted as a member of the American Academy of Chefs.

“One of my favorite things is working with the military,” said Bearl, describing all the different ships and bases he has been to since 1989 to teach new skills to culinary specialists. “Whether it’s ships, submarines – you name it, I’ve been there. I’ve been to 14 different countries with the Navy, 10 subs, more than 30 surface ships, eight aircraft carriers… as well as the White House and Camp David. We want to teach them (culinary specialists) the skills they need so that if they want to become certified chefs, they can.”

Bearl noted that there are 13 different levels of certification chefs can receive through the American Culinary Federation, such as Certified Sous Chef, Certified Working Pastry Chef, and Certified Executive Chef, to name a few. There are even education certifications chefs can receive, such as Certified Culinary Educator.

During the two weeks Bearl was teaching at NCBC Gulfport, he refreshed the galley’s culinary specialists on sanitation techniques in the galley, and taught them various knife skills so they can cut vegetables more efficiently and fabricate the various types of meat they work with, such as beef, chicken, pork and fish; fabrication involves learning how to cut these meats properly so you can get the most meat off the bones as possible.

He also taught them how to make various stocks and sauces using other parts of the meats they were working with, and he worked with them on baking various pastries, such as breads, tarts and even a chocolate-covered cheesecake. He also tested them on making various meals using the different foods the culinary specialists had available.

“We’re trying to give them the competencies to help them advance in their rate [while they’re in the Navy] and also advance on the civilian side,” said Bearl, who noted that these are skills and certifications that can help culinary specialists further their careers on both sides of the fence. “The goal is to give them both the confidence and the skills to succeed in the civilian world as well as in the Navy world.”

NCBC Gulfport Food Service Officer, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Rhoads, commented on the unique opportunity to have an ACF-certified chef instruct the culinary specialists at the Colmer Dining Facility.

“It’s fantastic, really, because here our number one goal is to try to find ways to improve our food quality, and if we can do it in a way that gives back to the [culinary specialists] at the same time, that’s a huge piece for us,” said Rhoads. “And what we’re doing at that point too is increasing our own level of knowledge in being able to provide quality, wholesome food for the military students and the battalions here onboard NCBC.”

Bearl noted that when he first started teaching Navy culinary specialists, the main program the Navy used back then was the Chefs at Sea program. According to Michael Carter, Commander, Navy Region Southeast galley program manager at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida, the current iteration is known as Advanced Culinary Training.

Carter said this training class is currently held five times a year at various bases in Navy Region Southeast, mainly in NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Culinary specialists who participate in the training receive 75 continuing education hours that can be used toward testing for any ACF certification.

As fate would have it, Carter was actually trained and ACF-certified by Bearl back in 1996 when he graduated from the St. Augustine Technical Culinary Institute; Chef Bearl served as his instructor.

“His name is actually on my diploma. I’ve known him a long time,” said Carter, who worked in the food services career field throughout his Navy career and eventually retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 5 before moving on to his current civilian position at NAS Jacksonville. Carter himself also received several ACF certifications, such as a Certified Executive Chef, and he serves as an approved Culinary Evaluator for ACF certification.

Carter expressed his appreciation for Bearl’s participation in the program and for the opportunity culinary specialists have to receive this advanced culinary instruction. “It’s definitely a morale booster itself when you get a chance to get training of this magnitude,” said Carter.

“This was high-value, high-quality training,” said Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Keenan Young, one of the culinary specialists at the Colmer Dining Facility. “Even though I already have a lot of training in these areas, this gives me the options to pursue even more choices. It’s something I can take with me outside to other restaurants, go and get certified, work for someone and probably get an apprenticeship, and even start my own business if I wanted to.”

Bearl wrapped up by reiterating how much he has enjoyed teaching service members the types of skills they can use to help them both now and even further down the road.

“I just love teaching the military members and seeing them succeed in their military careers and beyond. That’s one of the most gratifying things for me to see,” said Bearl.