Secret Fixins' Don't Stop Army Chef

Sgt. Matthew Flemister, an Army chef, came in second last year in the Armed Forces Chef of the Year contest, part of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition in Fort Lee, Va.

"Early Show" Recipes Galore

In that challenge, each chef gets a mystery basket and must use it to produce a four-course meal in just four hours. The winner is named the Armed Forces Chef of the Year.

On the broadcast Friday, Flemister got "The Early Show" version of that challenge. He had only 40 minutes to whip up a gourmet meal from these ingredients:

Asparagus
Tomatoes
Squash
Mushrooms
Couscous
Chicken Breast
Shrimp
Whole Fish
Potato Chips

To see how he did, click on the video below:

The Armed Forces Chef of the Year contest is part of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition, the largest culinary competition in the United States. This year the competition will take place between Feb. 27 - March 12, 2010. Approximately 180 competitors will go head-to-head in more than 500 judged events in the competition's 35th year.

Since 1973, the competition has been held each year in Fort Lee, Va., with the exception of 1991 and 2003, during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation, the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition showcases the talents of military chefs from around the globe in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In 2008, the Army Chef of the Year competition was changed to the Armed Forces Chef of the Year and chefs from all branches of service became eligible to compete for this highly coveted award.