Welcome to my first food blog!

I am excited about beginning this journey!

My name is Chef Andre Ward.  I am an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef® (CEC®) and a Certified Working Pastry Chef® (CWPC®) serving in the United States Army.  Hooah!

I’m from Savannah, GA and grew up in a household where cooking was displayed as a joy and passion by my Great Grandmother and Grandma.  Man can they cook!  As I got older, I wanted to learn to cook just like them.  Years later, my love for food found me; I delved right into it and never looked back.

I have been in the food-service industry as a chef now for 24 years.  Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of serving a total of four Secretaries of Defense at the Pentagon as well as providing managerial food-service support for President Barack Obama.  Additionally, I have had the privilege of managing and cooking in some of the US Army’s most prestigious Dining Facilities.

My last duty, before I retired, was to teach and mentor Joint Military Chefs in The Advanced Culinary Skills Training Course held at The Joint Culinary Center of Excellence Quartermaster Corps, Fort Lee, VA.  I love teaching!  I see it as an opportunity to give back to the future of military chefs after me.

I have a VERY competitive nature as a chef and have competed in numerous culinary competitions.  A few are: “The Joint Culinary Training Exercise” Fort Lee, VA, “The Culinary World Cup” Luxembourg, Germany, “The IKA Culinary Olympics” Germany, and The Food Network “Bakers-vs-Fakers“.

All of my experiences as a military chef have been phenomenal and I believe I have served my country well in war and peacetime.  I have learned so much from great chefs and now I want to share what I know about food with you.

This website will mostly feature desserts, hence the name; however, I truly want this to be an instructional resource that you can visit to learn basic skills, advanced skills, what to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, special occasions, holidays, course meals, etc…  I will also share techniques and recipes that my kitchen staff and I used to serve the Secretary of Defense.  I want you to have it all!

Come and join me on this food blogging journey!  I hope that the content I provide will be a blessing to you, your family, and anyone you cook for.  Please Enjoy!

Cheers

Andre Ward (CEC®), (CWPC®)

Founder, The Pastry Ward” en