SAN ANTONIO – Airmen from 11 Department of the Air Force dining facilities went head-to-head in the second annual Salute Hospitality Epicurean Faceoff culinary battle Dec. 3 at the San Antonio Culinary Institute of America. 
The SHEF competition, sponsored by the Air Force Services Center and its industry partner Aramark Salute Hospitality, is the marquee event of year-long quarterly competitions that give culinary Airmen the chance to display their cooking skills and creativity.  
“We’d like to express our gratitude to all of our competitors, our mission partners at the Culinary Institute of America, and Aramark,” said Col. Chip Hollinger, Air Force Services Center Mission Operations director. “Competitions like SHEF provide a valuable opportunity for Services professionals to showcase their talent in a first-class training environment like the Culinary Institute of America. Under the mentorship of culinary experts and industry partners, this unique developmental opportunity make our Services airmen stronger and more capable when they return to the mission feeding platforms they operate. This improves the delivery of quality, nutritious meals to those we serve – fueling the human weapon system, which is essential to optimizing of our power projection platforms.”
All SHEF competitors received meal requirements before heading to San Antonio so they could perfect a recipe with their home station executive chef team. Required elements included beef tenderloin or lamb as protein, couscous, scallops, kale and purple sweet potatoes. CIA core pantry products were also available.
Airman 1st Class Ivana Inga, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, was crowned the 2025 SHEF competition champion. Inga, already a base-level champion, had some nerves as scores were being tallied. 
“I was so surprised that I won,” Inga said. “Everyone here has so much skill, and I kept tripping over my words when I presented my dish. Thank goodness I had a cool head in the kitchen.”
Not only does the 2025 SHEF champion go home with hardware and bragging rights, but she also has new goals from a personal promise. “I told myself if I won the whole thing I would go to culinary arts school,” she said. “I guess I have to go now!”
The risk of failure on such an elevated stage is something that resonates with Aramark leadership. “This is a career milestone,” said Gary Crompton, President of the Workplace Experience Group at Aramark. “When I look at opportunities at Aramark and the people that are applying, the first thing I look for is ‘did they take any risks?’ “Hats off to the competitors for putting yourselves out there and being able to learn through success or failure.”
One of those risk-taskers also in attendance was last year’s champion, Airman 1st Class Sharon Villacres Baracaldo, whose job this year was to mentor competitors through the process. “I remember being completely stressed with cameras and all the people watching,” said Baracaldo. “I hope everyone works through the stress as best they can and takes back with them an experience of a lifetime.”
Food 2.0 is part of the services center’s Healthy Food Initiative, which delivers improved, healthier food options for Airmen, Guardians and other patrons at 29 Department of the Air Force installations. The competition featured representatives from most Food 2.0 locations managed with industry partner, Aramark Salute Hospitality.
“This year’s competition was inspirational,” said Jim Krueger, AFSVC’s Food and Beverage Division chief. “You could feel the eagerness to compete and win; you could see it and taste it. Each one of the Airmen were winners in their own right.”