Force Support Squadron Airman wins chef competition Published March 23, 2012 By Airman Jason Wiese 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Airman 1st Class Austen Briones, 90th Force Support Squadron chef, won a chef competition against other F. E. Warren chefs March 14 in the Chadwell Dining Facility. The 90th FSS and the 90th Operations Group organized the competition, said Master Sgt. Brian Tucker, 90th OG chef superintendent. The competition has no official name yet, but he tentatively called it the "90th OG/FSS Top Chef Competition." The competitors were given a box of 20 separate ingredients. The chefs didn't know what the ingredients were prior to the competition, and they had an hour to create a dish to be judged by a panel consisting of base leaders who didn't know which chef created which dish, said Tucker. Each of the missile squadrons on base were represented in the competition, and the 90th FSS had two chefs compete. Briones expressed his surprise at winning the competition. "Honestly, I really wasn't expecting it," Briones said. "I was just hoping [the winner] would be one of the FSS chefs." The competition was held as a morale builder for the chefs on base. "I think it's great for the morale of the chefs because it gives them a chance to showcase their skills," said Tucker. Chief Master Sgt. Marty Anderson, 90th Missile Wing command chief and one of the judges of the competition, said that the panel found all of the submitted dishes to be very good. "It was a very close competition," Anderson said. "Less than a point separated the winner from the other competitors." The dish that won the competition was chicken seasoned with red peppers, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and several other ingredients, said Briones. "When I first came into the service, I never wanted to cook," he said. "Now that I have been in the Air Force for two years, I have really found a joy for it." Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Ryan, 90th OG security forces manager, is one of the creators of the competition. He said he hopes to hold the competition once a quarter, and he wants to expand it in size and scale as well, and the competition organizers are trying to get a local chef from a private restaurant to compete in the next competition.