PORT ANGELES — Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher White, who is stationed in Port Angeles, is the best chef in the U.S. Coast Guard.
White is the Coast Guard’s top food service specialist — or chef — of the year, said Tara Molle, Coast Guard spokeswoman, in a written statement.
White, who has been in the Coast Guard for about four years, is stationed aboard the Cuttyhunk at Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles.
“This award isn’t a testament to me. It is a testament to the entire crew and the support system that I have,” said White, who received the service-wide award earlier this month.
Most-requested dish
One of his specialties is chili, which he said is his most-requested dish.
“I guess now that I’ve made it a lot, I have just learned how to do it really well,” White said.
“It really seems that is what people are always asking for.”
One of his favorite cuisines is Moroccan.
He is especially fond of lamb kabob with tomatoes and peppers.
At home, though, he is not the top chef.
That position is reserved for his wife, Marisol White, whom he met and married in Bakersfield, Calif.
“My wife likes to cook a lot at home,” White said.
As the chef for the Cuttyhunk, he is responsible for coming up with a menu and purchasing supplies, he said.
The ship is on maneuvers between 24 hours at a time to two weeks, he said.
As a reward for his “top chef” status, White will receive two weeks of culinary training in the summer.
Re-enlisting?
He said he was not sure if he would re-enlist in the Coast Guard — if he does not, he will be out in March — but the training would be beneficial if he does choose to stay in.
White now has a couple weeks of leave as he welcomes his first child, a girl.
“If I did go to the training, it would be pretty hard to leave for a couple weeks and be away like that,” he said.
White said that, if he were to leave the military, he might continue in a culinary field but not in the private sector.
“Restaurants are so unpredictable,” he said. “I’d rather work for a prison or something in the public sector.”
White is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, who assists several charities.
He also organized and established a canned food drive to benefit the local Olympic Youth Center for the holidays
Coast Guard chefs were judged on the health of their food, how they improved food — based on comments from those they served — professionalism, taking courses to improve food and taking on other tasks.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
