By Beth Kramer ekramer@stmedianetwork.com July 6, 2011 11:10PM
Dimitri Kallianis of The Shanty in Wadsworth tries on a Navy cap given to him during a ceremony on base at Naval Station Great Lakes.
America?s chefs
The nonprofit organization brings celebrity chefs and other culinary entertainment to U.S. military bases and installations all over the world. It was founded three years ago and boosts morale through culinary shows and demonstrations. For more information, visit www.americaschefs.org
Updated: July 7, 2011 12:04AM
GREAT LAKES ? Instead of standard military fare, about 7,000 sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes had their pick of Cajun barbecue, flank steak and many other dishes created for them by celebrity chefs at Wednesday?s Great American Backyard BBQ.
Eight celebrity chefs with America?s Chefs, all of whom appeared on the Food Network show ?Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? hosted by chef Guy Fieri, donated their time and talent to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for hungry sailors like Seaman Dariush Parra of Tucson, Ariz.
Parra selected chicken with mango salsa from the Caribbean Chicken Stand, run by Dimitri Kallianis, who owns The Shanty in Wadsworth.
?It?s really good,? Parra said. ?This is definitely a good change from the usual food.?
Fellow Seaman Zach Humbert of Tinley Park said he usually ate Chinese or Italian food on the base. Like Parra, he was eating chicken with mango salsa on a pretzel bun.
?This is outstanding. It?s nice switching it up,? Humbert said.
Kallianis, like the other TV chef alumni, is part of America?s Chefs, a nonprofit organization that brings food-related entertainment to U.S. military installations all over the world.
This was America?s Chefs second visit to Naval Station Great Lakes, according to director and founder Christian Vaughn.
It was during their December visit that he and Fieri approached Kallianis about joining America?s Chefs, Vaughn said.
?He (Kallianis) wanted to get on board. This is his first event with us and we hope to do many more with him,? Vaughn said.
Kallianis said Wednesday he made 6,000 orders of Caribbean chicken with mango salsa on a pretzel roll, 9,000 orders of tequila salmon and 2,000 orders of whiskey shrimp for hungry sailors.
This was his contribution to approximately 21,000 meals served Wednesday, according to Capt. John Malfitano, commanding officer of Naval Station Great Lakes.
?They?re all not just wonderful chefs ? they?re ambassadors of goodwill and good morale,? Malfitano said.
The base likes to hold a barbecue in the summer, he said. America?s Chefs provided an excuse, but sailors still had a regular day of training classes on base, Malfitano stressed. They used their meal times to visit food stations with the special dishes made by the guest chefs.
?These guys give a lot of their time. It?s really coming from their heart,? Vaughn said.
Many of their tours for America?s Chefs have led them to places like Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and take restaurant owners like Kallianis away from their restaurants for several days.
?It?s crazy ? but I wanted to guarantee my customers that I?m only leaving 10 days at a time. I?m still staying extremely involved in my restaurant,? Kallianis said.
He will represent the Food Network brand and volunteer with America?s Chefs on a global tour. He leaves in August for military installations in Tokyo, Beijing, Rome and London. ?It was a great opportunity to start the tour in my back yard,? Kallianis said.
No comments:
Post a Comment