News Search

Soldier stirs up love for cooking

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Destinee Dougherty
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  During the lunch rush at the Chief Master Sgt. Emerson E. Williams Dining Facility, the smell of fresh fruit, leafy greens, and grilled meat fill the air, while freshly cooked chicken simmers on a hot plate and hungry Airmen and Soldiers wait in a long line in the background.

The chefs behind the counter proudly serve the troops and watch as Team Shaw members grab the food that took hours to prepare and head towards the dining rooms.

Among the approximately 30 Airmen and Soldiers who work in the dining facility one Soldier's pride, enthusiasm, and passion for the job can be seen in everything she does.

Since 2014, U.S. Army Spc. Angel Osborne, Army Central Command culinary specialist, has been demonstrating her love for the art of cooking in her work at the dining facility, which all began at age 4 in front of a warm stove with her aunt.

“The first major thing I made was the simplest thing, macaroni and cheese,” said Osborne. “After that, I was helping her with homemade cheesecakes to serve in her beauty parlor downstairs that she ran.”

Osborne, a Missouri native, carried on the skills her aunt taught her and expanded upon them to be able to share her passion for cooking with others; no matter what challenges she faced while expanding her skills, such as honing her cutting precision, she pushed through them all.

“Never give up,” Osborne said. “If you cut yourself (while preparing food), put a Band-Aid on it and continue cutting. At first my cuts sucked, I couldn’t cut consistently. My cuts are dead-on now. You just got to keep practicing.”

Part of developing her skills involved attending Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in St. Peters, Missouri for a nine-month program that included basic knife skills, sauces and stocks, baking, world cuisine, and sushi plates.

Osborne said she has been able to use those experiences to teach Airmen and Soldiers skills they might not have learned in a dining facility setting, like different baking techniques.

Serving more than 120,000 meals in 2015, the dining facility has a lot of work to dish out, and Osborne is a strong contributor to the success of the staff.

When Osborne comes into work every day she gives it all she can; she’s very enthusiastic and hard-working, said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Benenhaley, 20th Force Support Squadron food service supervisor.

“Without her we’d have a hard time,” said Benenhaley, “She can pretty much put out the whole meal by herself if need be.”

Every day Osborne works to show her dedication in the kitchen she gets a little bit closer to reaching her ultimate goal.

“I want to open my own restaurant or start a food truck someday,” said Osborne. “It will all depend on where me and my husband decide to settle down.”

Osborne said she wants to cater breakfast at her restaurant, because it’s her favorite meal of the day.

At the end of her shift, Osborne ensures everything is clean and prepared for the next shift. After a long day of work supporting the nutritional needs of Soldiers and Airmen, Osborne leaves the dining facility having made it a better place for service members on both sides of the food counter.