BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:00:22
Fort Jackson in South Carolina is a training ground for Army drill sergeants-- Ready, drill sergeant. Yes, drill sergeant!
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:00:29
--and a different kind of warrior, Chef Robert Irvine. How many times have you been at Fort Jackson? Oh, my goodness, [LAUGHS] like, too many to count.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:00:39
The US Army asked an English outsider to reinvent how it feeds its soldiers. Canned ingredients and mess hall chow are out, and this is what he's been cooking up.
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:00:50
This is real food. Real chicken that's seasoned. Oh, look, fresh herbs.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:00:55
Fresh herbs.
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:00:56
Where do you see fresh herbs in the military?
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:00:58
It's called Victory Fresh, a recipe for a kind of food the Army has never really seen or tasted-- Can we try a slice of the brisket? Yeah.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:01:07
--like brisket sliced to order. It's fatty, it's salty, it's earthy. Excellent. That's how Army food should be.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:01:21
The chef got his start as a cook in the British Royal Navy. He later led professional kitchens and became famous for shaking them up. Let's get to work.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:01:30
As host of Food Network's Restaurant Impossible--
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:01:33
$6.75 is the lowest selling price I can sell it for. Why?
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:01:38
--he's often helped struggling restaurants get back on their feet. You're ensured that you get all that covered, the labor-- Hallelujah --of food and over food. You're known for turning around restaurants, but turning this around is different, right? Yes, it's big. [CHUCKLES]
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:01:55
The Army cooks more than a quarter million meals every day.
NARRATOR:
00:01:59
Today's soldier finds that his daily fare is varied and substantial.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:02:02
But so much about mess halls was shaped back when World War II-era facilities were built for efficiency. Irvine says the segmented trays and drab surroundings aren't serving modern soldiers.
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:02:15
It doesn't always have to be so institutionalized. That, to me, looks like a prison. Does the Army need to spend more money on food? No. We don't need more money. We need smarter purchasing. We need smarter people that come in and are held accountable to do the jobs that we're asking them to do.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:02:34
The good news-- the brass are on board. At Fort Hood in Texas, right next to the strikers and tanks, we met three-star Lieutenant General Christopher Mohan, who's in charge of all Army supplies worldwide, including food.
CHRISTOPHER MOHAN:
00:02:47
We spend billions feeding our soldiers. Billions. I think they say, an army marches on its stomach. Absolutely.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:02:55
It's true? Absolutely. Food brings us all together. Food is the fuel for our warrior athletes, if you will.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:03:00
Success in war has always depended on feeding troops. But today, the Army is battling an obesity problem. It's a priority for the Secretary of Defense. It's tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Food is a big part of fixing that. Huge. Huge part.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:03:19
But mess halls are so unpopular, many soldiers eat fast food instead, which can be unhealthy and expensive. They only eat about 25% of the meals they're entitled to in our military dining facilities. What do you think of that? I think we're failing. I think we're failing. And we have to meet them where they are. Let's talk about Chef Irvine. I really appreciate him because he's blunt. And he's looked at me and said, hey, General, you guys are stupid for doing this. And I appreciate that kind of talk. That's not hard for a general to hear? No, not from somebody like him. Look, he knows what he's doing.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:03:53
For new ideas, Irvine looked far away from Army posts to the campus of Columbia University, where he took us to meet Vicki Dunn. 4,000 people a day out of this kitchen, Chef.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:04:04
The head of dining has taught the school a lesson about food. Many students were dropping meal plans, so Dunn changed their entire approach. It was to create a culinary mecca. The food needs to be fresh. It can't be cooked hours before. Buying from sustainable sources and local sources.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:04:22
In the kitchen, she's retrained staff with restaurant-caliber skills. Then roll a little tequila in a dressing, right?
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:04:30
That was Patron.
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:04:31
That was patron. Exactly, yes. This is not only good for drinking, it's also good for marinades. It's also proof that they are not cutting it short on ingredients. There you go.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:04:40
In the dining hall, students are now showing up and loading up on fresh, healthy food. Let me get one of these. Take two.
VICKI DUNN:
00:04:48
It is a huge change. When I first got here, I think there was about 1,500, 2,000 people on the meal plan. Last semester, we had 7,611 students on meal plans.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:04:59
Students and young soldiers are the same age with the same tastes. So the chef brought Army officials to Columbia to see how Dunn did it, while keeping per-meal costs contained. It's the same amount of money that the military gets, is what Vicki gets. So same age, same money, so what's the problem? We can change. [INAUDIBLE]
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:05:22
Back at Victory Fresh, they're testing it out. And soldiers are eating it up, from salads and wraps to pizzas baked fresh in this high-end oven. The chef approves, too.
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:05:33
It's a whole different experience.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:05:35
It's worked so well at five forts, the Army is now ripping out old mess halls and building new campus-style dining venues. The first will open in February. Irvine wants them worldwide. I'm not in the military. I'm not paid. I'm doing this because I truly believe in the mission.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:05:54
But already, troops say the chef is changing the culture of feeding an army. You think this guy is making a difference? Absolutely. [LAUGHS]
ROBERT IRVINE:
00:06:02
They're proud of the country. Now let the country be proud of them. Let's give them what they deserve on the plate so they can do what we need them to do when they go out there. That's my fight. That's Robert Irvine's fight. And I'm good with that fight.
BRADLEY BLACKBURN:
00:06:18
For CBSSaturday Morning,Bradley Blackburn, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I love that story. I texted my cousin last night. He's in the Army. I said, how's the food? He said, it is healthier and more affordable than ever. A quarter million meals a day. Reforming that is not easy.
