Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-28
C001NG Class

being detailed for this educational work
companies possessed of good ones ceased
to boast of their merits. Indeed, SO secre-
tive have the companions become as to the
skill of their superior chefs de cuisine
that the commissary department no
longer hears of those who might be want
ed for teachers, at 30 cents extra per day
the instructor-cook's pay. So civilian
cooks have had to be obtained to fill uo
the corps of culinary teachers.
Graduates Get Sergeant's Pay.
All of the student cooks are men who
have volunteered to take the course.
There is dearth of these among the
privates, inasmuch as a graduate cook. as
soon as he is assigned to an organization,
commences to draw full sergeants pay
l>besideS such extra allowance from the
company'S fund as his skill deserves. Not
every private who applies is received at
the school. however. Eligibles must have
common school education and must
nave at least two and One-haf years
before their enlistments will have expired
Besides the extra pay the company cook
is relieved from guard and police duty,
but he must take his turn at drill and
target practice. Each company is allowed
two cooks and generally two Kitchen
police who do the kitchen drudgery.
The course at the army cooking school
is four months. The student cook starts
in with sculery work and next he learns
the handling and cleaning of the range.
| Then he takes up cooking proper-frst the
theory and afterward the practice. In
| the course of his theory work he must
master some hard problems in food econ
omy and must acquire considerable execu-
tive ability. After being taught to keep
accounts and to estimate the cost of the
| items of the mess he is required, for ex
| ample to make up a menu for a whole
| company of men for. ten days ahead; also
| to figure out its cost and the savings he is
| going to make under the ration allowance.
| The good cook does not draw from the
commissa-y all of the food materials to
which he is entitled. After making mis-
savings he recommends what extra deli
cacies are to be bought out of them.
The Student-cook receiving the highest
mark in his class at the end of the four
months course receives prize of $15 and
there is always a second prize of $40.
There is also a school for army bakers
at Fort Riley. This occupies a separate
building, and will continue to do so. even
after the new cooking school is completed
| but the student bakers will share the new
| barracks of the student-cooks. In fact,
| they all belong technically to one institu-
| ton, the School of Bakers and Cooks"
Two Branch Schools.
| Branch schools for cooks and bakers
are now in operation at Washington
| barracks and at the Preside, San Fran
cisco. After the classes are formed at
| these posts the student-cooks are dis
tributed among the various company
kitchens. where about four or five are
taught by a. company cook. A model
! bakers school will be conducted in the
big post bakery now being built at the
| Washington barracks. This bakery
Gen. Sharpe tells me, will be one of
the show places of his department
shower baths and all modern conven
| fences for bakers and student-bakers.
This branch of military cookery is
more irksome than cooking proper, as