Seagoing cookoff

When I worked at a large state-run institution, the kitchen occasionally hosted an in-house cookoff. We'd do ribs in the fall. Springtime was reserved for chili. Since we couldn't take time out of our busy schedules to cook on-site, each contestant cooked the dish at home and presented it to the judges at work.

Everyone enjoyed the contests and adjoining potluck lunch. It gave us a chance to compare cooking styles and helped to boost morale.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2010) -- Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Jonathon K. Yates, from Greenville, N.C., stirs chili for the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group chili competition in the galley of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Culinary specialists from all units in the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group were invited to participate in the chili cook-off. Abraham Lincoln is underway on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brian Morales.