The National Restaurant Association (NRA) Military Foundation hosted 30 award-winning military service members as part of a week-long education program at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif.

Left: Enjoying the camaraderie of the NRA Military Foundation’s Culinary Forum are (left to right) Corporal Dijon Terry, Marine Corps; Staff Sergeant Cordell Washington, Air Force; and Staff Sergeant, Brian M. Kauten, Marine Corps.

The 2013 Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence program's goals included honing participants' culinary and foodservice management skills and inspiring future careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. The participants are recipients of the foundation's excellence in foodservice awards and represent the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves. The restaurant industry employs more than 250,000 military veterans, according to the NRA. In the next 5 years, the NRA projects the number of additional employment opportunities to increase by 25,000.

Right: Staff Sergeant Tracy Nicole Schuster (left) hones her culinary skills under the watchful eye of Chef Almir Da Fonseca at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus.

Left: Participants in the National Restaurant Association’s Military Culinary Forum have the opportunity to sharpen their knife skills. Those pictured here include (left to right): Art Ritt, a member of the NRA Military Hospitality Subcommittee; Airman First Class Tyler L. Roberts, Air Force; Senior Airman Glen Gould, Air Force; and Sergeant Erik Giron-Guerrero, Marine Corps.