Sub sandwiches aren’t on these cooks’ menu
2 Navy men dive into learning recipes from Colo. chefs
A nuclear submarine can run only as long as the food on board lasts. Eight hundred feet below sea level, cooking is important.
On Wednesday, two culinary specialists assigned to the under-construction USS Colorado stopped by downtown’s historic Brown Palace Hotel and Spa to expand their recipe book — and add a dash of Colorado flavoring — by learning a dish from executive chef Michael Wright.
Thomas Carswell of Greenville, S.C., and Oyedolapo Oworu of Atlanta usually cook four meals a day for about 120 to 150 sailors. The cooks stay submerged for months at a time and must deal with claustrophobic kitchens and limited supplies.
Carswell and Oworu were brought to Colorado by the USS Colorado Commissioning Committee, a group that raises money for amenities on the vessel and arranges tours of Colorado for select crew members, said John J. Mackin, committee chairman and an ex-submariner.
Carswell and Oworu also visited The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs and Four Seasons in Vail. So far, they have learned how to cook wild boar green chili, Texas tortilla soup, pimento cheese and Southern bacon chili. On the submarine, pizza and ice cream are favorites, Oworu said.
The USS Colorado, which is being built at the base in Groton, Conn., is scheduled to become active next summer, according to Mackin. He also said Balistreri Vineyards, a Denver vintner, is supplying the bottle of sparkling wine that will be smashed on its hull to christen it.
Oworu and Carswell changed out of their Navy uniforms into maroon chef clothing, and Wright led them to the kitchen. The two cooks watched Wright intently as he tossed the ingredients into a small sauce pan and placed it on the stove top. The dish they prepared was seared Rocky Mountain trout with Olathe corn cappelletti and green chili smoked bacon crème.
Wright dumped into the sauce a handful of chopped green chiles from Pueblo.
“I only heard of green chiles since I came here,” Oworu said, staring down at the pan. In addition to the trout dish, Wright presented them with USB sticks containing more than 100 recipes.
Wright handed Carswell three small pieces of fish on a tray and instructed him to drop them — skin down — into the pan. Within minutes, the meal was finished.
The USS Colorado will be an attack submarine, capable of launching surface-to-air missiles.The two Navy cooks will return to their base with a catalog of new recipes and will stay there until the vessel is completed.
Until then, they’ll enjoy life above water and their remaining time in Colorado.
“I guess we just got lucky,” Oworu said.