Soldier cook

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This article was published 21/06/2018 (2910 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SHILO, MB- Warrant Officer Bob Burry is used to feeding 200-plus people on a regular basis. You could say he has a big family.

Although not related by blood, he’s a cook for his fellow soldiers at CFB Shilo. It’s his job to make sure the soldiers have the fuel they need to do their job.

Cooking is second nature for Burry who’s been in the military for more than 30 years. He’s made so many different recipes, that now to make many of them, he no longer has to look at the cook book.

“It’s like pouring a glass of water,” Burry said, adding that soups and sauces are his favourite things to cook. “When you’re cold and wet and miserable there’s nothing better than a hot soup.”

As a cook who sometimes has to work in the field, he is used to working 84 hours a week. His job as a cook in the Canadian Armed Forces requires him to work in “a very high-tempo high-paced environment,” as he describes it.

The last exercise Burry took part in, he didn’t have a day off in five weeks. Regardless, it’s work that he enjoys.

“You’re always productive,” Burry said. And productive means sometimes working 12-18-hour days when they’re in the field. “A 12-hour day would be a short day.”

“That would be a nice day,” added Master Corporal Greg Holmes.

The cooks eat after all the troops are fed. They can’t take a day off because the soldiers need to eat. It’s up to them to ensure that the troops have enough fuel in their body, so they can do their job, and do it well.

“We’re not just guys that open up cans and throw it in, we’re actually sought-after chefs,” he said. Eating is an important part of the day for soldiers, and it can be a bright spot in tough situations or long shifts.

“Feeding is such a key aspect of morale for the troops, a lot of the time the cooks take quite a bit of pride in that,” said Captain Victoria Evans.

Burry has cooked in a variety of environments, from a trailer in the middle of the field, to a military kitchen on base. Over time he has had a few hiccups.

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever received in my entire career was if you never burnt a pot, you never cooked,” he said. However, “if you burnt a pot twice, then you’re in trouble,” Burry said.

The job requires them to be very organized at all times. “We’re always prepped one day ahead.”

He, along with the rest of the cooks make sure that they can be accommodating to soldier’s specific dietary needs, including vegetarian options or making food for someone with a religious requirement.

“They’re part of my team, and I need to feed, I need to fuel,” he said. “Same with vegetarians, they need proper proteins, they need the proper nutrition to do what they do, or they’re going to be a liability to everyone else around them.”

They learn tricks of the trade as well along the way. Captain Evans said that the troops like to eat different things depending on the time of year.

“A lot of guys love hard boiled eggs for breakfast because they can use them as little pocket warmers for awhile and keep their hands warm,” she said.

However, in the summertime it’s the opposite, as their hands may be dirty and peeling and eating a boiled egg gets messy. They have to be prepared to adapt to many different situations, but despite it’s challenges being a military cook is something they all take pride in.

“We are the place to come to eat,” Burry said.

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