The Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) that U.S. military service members are provided when food service is not readily available are not typically known as culinary masterpieces. Nevertheless, that is exactly what the young professionals in the Culinary Arts II program at the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center were determined to create this fall, when they participated in a pre-Veterans Day project-based learning experience. 

Using actual MREs, enhanced with ingredients found in the Culinary Arts program’s kitchen, the young professionals got right down to work. Culinary teacher Chef Elise Macur, noting that vocational high schools across the country take part in similar MRE Challenges, said that she added the competition to her own curriculum to show her class that there are other introductory culinary positions aside from that of line or prep cook. “Every branch of the U.S. military has amazing culinary programs,” Chef Macur said. “For this challenge, we worked with the Army National Guard and Army National Guard Reservist and Ulster BOCES alumnus Justin Rearick.”

The competition was between the young professionals in Chef Macur’s class and those who attend fellow Culinary Arts instructor Chef Justin Nahow’s classroom. The classes, both of which are assisted by Teaching Assistant Lisa Kozack, were split into teams of five or six. Each team was given a different MRE and only one hour to create a main entrée, a dessert, and a drink using all the MRE ingredients as well as what was available in the Culinary Arts kitchen.

 An important part of this competition was working together as a team under time constraints. The young professionals not only rose to the difficult challenge, but conquered it. “Every single team had something ready for each piece at the final judging panel,” said Macur.

James Mosley, a young professional from Saugerties Senior High School, was tasked with creating a new drink for his team. “I started with the fruit punch that came with the MRE,” he explained. “I added watermelon, pineapple juice, lemon, and lime. I also added a little sugar to it to sweeten it.” James found that getting the perfect sweetness was easier than expected, and his improved fruit punch was a hit.

The MREs came with a variety of food items, which were transformed by the imaginations of the young chefs. A chicken fajita MRE became a chicken pot pie with a crust made from crackers included in the packet. A tube of peanut butter turned into a peanut butter and jelly parfait dessert. “I was really impressed by their creativity,” said Chef Macur.

Caitlyn Rafferty, another young professional from Saugerties Senior High School, was tasked with making an entrée from a rice-and-beans MRE. “There are so many ingredients in the MREs, so just coming up with a dish that worked with all those ingredients was hard,” she explained. Her team decided to make stuffed peppers from what they had available. “I tasted the rice and beans first and they weren’t that bad,” said Caitlyn, “but I decided to add seasoning to make them taste better. I put this in the peppers I had in the oven and added cheese on top.” The end result was delicious.

The young professionals learned that by working together, communicating clearly, and thinking creatively, they were able to make the humble MRE into a tastier dining experience in a very short amount of time. 

The young professionals presented the final meals to a panel of U.S. veterans from Ulster BOCES, along with two representatives from the Army National Guard. Each dish or drink was evaluated on teamwork, creativity, presentation, and flavor. The winning selection for the morning session was the Yellow Team's chicken pot pie, and the winner of the afternoon session was Team 3's tacos. 

The project-based learning MRE Challenge was a powerful demonstration of the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center’s dedication to providing innovative, real-world education. Through this experience, young professionals not only honed essential culinary skills but also learned the importance of teamwork, creativity, and adaptability.