FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Warfighters at the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) traded tactical gear for chef's knives as part of a recurring culinary program designed to foster independence and life skills.
The Colonel’s Kitchen initiative returned to the installation this month, bringing professional culinary training directly to wounded, ill and injured service members. Organized by Army Community Service, the program pairs recovering Soldiers with experienced chefs to teach foundational cooking techniques, nutritional awareness and meal preparation.
This event marks the latest interaction in the ongoing partnership. Each chef brings a unique culinary background, specialized knowledge and a culture of instruction and care that SRU Soldiers can emulate. While Soldiers learn to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals, the hands-on environment also offers therapeutic benefits, helping them regain confidence and adapt to physical or psychological transitions.
Adrina Scott, ACS Specialist, said this can help broaden the scope for participants in what is possible.
“Putting this event together lets us know that we're doing the right thing, that we're doing something right by providing this for the Soldiers… A lot of them are going through PTSD, a lot of them may be depressed, but an event like this that gives them some type of adaptive reconditioning, and will definitely help them once they do transition from the military to civilian.”
The SRU provides complex case management and comprehensive transition support to service members. Programs like The Colonel’s Kitchen ensure that as Soldiers heal, they gain the practical tools necessary for successful reintegration into military or civilian life. Cooking offers an engaging, hands-on activity that enhances fine motor skills and cognitive focus.
Chef Phillips, a retired brigadier general, said some Soldiers were a little concerned about their knife skills in the beginning.
“After a while, they learned how to handle a knife, so they gained a skill, and they also gained confidence, and I think that's very important… these young men and women are learning a new skill that they didn't know before. It refreshes their confidence,” Phillips said.
The Colonel’s Kitchen was founded on the simple belief that those who sacrificed for our nation should never have to rebuild their lives alone. Driven by the relentless commitment of its founder, Chef Nick, a disabled combat veteran and educator, the organization empowers wounded warriors as well as disabled veterans to move beyond injury and rediscover purpose.
Lt. Col. Ronda Washington, SRU commander, said this program encompasses what SRU stands for – a unique unit that is essential to the Army, but is non-traditional.
“We have to find non-traditional ways to execute the mission,” Washington said. “I say Chef's Kitchen is a non-traditional way to execute the mission, and that is to ensure that we're caring for Soldiers and helping them, whether it's returning to active duty, or returning to the reserve or guard units or medically retiring”
Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir SRU come from diverse walks of life and various backgrounds, and they are all on some of the most uncertain paths of their lives. They face the loss of the military identity they proudly held for years. This program is customized to ensure they do not see themselves as closing a chapter but rather, through new skills learned, friendships made and networks created, creating hope and excitement for their new lives.
Master Sgt. Desmond Gudets, an SRU soldier from Indiana, said he loves learning new things.
“A lot of it is being able to take the things that I've learned here in various classes, especially the cooking class the Colonel’s Kitchen offers, as hobbies and as a way to teach, mentor, and train for either excelling in military life or post military career transitioning to civilians… this is one of the greatest opportunities I've had to take advantage of the classes given here, either learning how to fly fish, learning how to cook, being around great people, that's very awesome,” Gudets said.
The partnership between the Fort Belvoir ACS and The Colonel’s Kitchen demonstrates that through dedication to the SRU mission, assigned Soldiers can greatly benefit from their newly sharpened skills, camaraderie and renewed confidence; tools that will serve them well when transitioning from military camouflage to business suits.