Cooking with Aviano's finest

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Matthew Lotz
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  She first discovered her love of cooking at the age of 16, working in her grandmother's bakery helping make and design wedding cakes.

Following high school, Airman 1st Class Angela Berg continued her passion for cooking and baking by becoming a certified pastry chef before entering the Air Force.

Now, the 22-year-old food services journeyman with the 31st Force Support Squadron uses her cooking expertise to teach Aviano Airmen in the dormitories how to prepare a meal with the resources available to them.

Recently, Berg hosted a cooking class that taught Airmen how to prepare a home-cooked meal, July 23, at the base dining facility.

"When you think about the perfect Airman, you think about Airman Berg," said Senior Master Sgt. Lisa Lyons. "She's very much outgoing, a team player, wants to excel at everything, and takes direction very well and then adds her own flare to it. She is always thinking outside the box."

Students watched as Berg cooked pan-seared chicken covered in a pan sauce with a side of sautéed potatoes and green beans. She taught them proper cutting techniques, using correct temperature for meat and plating a dish.

"I'm always open to help people with cooking," said Berg. "The best part about cooking is being able to cook good food for good people."

Expanding on her culinary education even more, Berg recently attended the Department of Defense's Advanced Culinary Arts Training Center where she prepared an eight course meal, as well as setup a dining room table for 24 VIPs and guests.

According to the Advance Food Service Training Division, the one-month course, located at Fort Lee, Va., is not the place to learn or review basic cooking skills, but focus on knife skills, menu development, presentation and more.

Berg says she continues to get better at her craft during the holidays and cooking for her family.

"My family really inspires me to do better because we always try to one-up each other," Berg said. "When I go home for the holidays, my family competes to see who can cook a certain dish better."

Although cooking for the Airmen at the La Dolce Vita Dining Facility is different from her formal training, she continues to strive to offer the best meals possible.

"Cooking for the Air Force is really different because it's mass-production meals," said Berg. "We have a set meal schedule we follow every week, and customers can get a little tired of the same thing.

There are some things I want to change, and sometimes I do," Berg laughed. "I do it to make it taste better, like add a different seasoning."

The passion to make something better is why Berg says cooking is more than just a job for her.

"I love to come to work, it doesn't really feel like I'm working," said Berg. "It's even more enjoyable when people come back to me and they tell me how much they really enjoyed the food."

Berg explains that her and her coworkers don't always please everyone with their cooking, but ensures that she always tastes a sample of what she cooks.

"If I don't like how it tastes and I don't want to eat it, why would I serve it to someone else?" said Berg. "They don't realize how much time we put into our cooking."

While she seldom strays from using her seasonings at work, Berg explains while cooking at home she always uses one ingredient and one tool.

"One thing I absolutely always cook with at home is olive oil because it's healthier for you and it brings out the taste in food," she said. "Also, a cooking thermometer is good because people should know what temperatures to cook meat. Having meat not cooked all the way is the worst thing for someone's stomach."

All within her first year in the military, Berg is a recent quarterly award winner, a graduate of a prestigious D.O.D. training and now, teaching other young Airmen to improve their own skills in the kitchen, and yet she still claims she is just like everyone else.

"I'm still an Airman that works 8-hour shifts, cleans the kitchen and mops the floors, and does all the other dirty work required of an Airman," she said. "I'm really not that special. Anyone can become a great cook with the right tools and willing to learn."