Updated: Marine Corps museum MRE Cookoff looking for contestants

Submitted: 

The National Museum of the Marine Corps will once again pit would-be chefs against the infamous MRE (meal ready to eat) in the fourth annual MRE Cookoff, Saturday, Feb. 4.                       

The challenge is simple: make the tastiest meal (or at least the most palatable) out of two MRE packs “blindly” pulled from a box and whatever ingredients each chef can fit into his or her “cargo pocket” (the big pocket on the trousers of field uniforms, about the equivalent of a quart-size plastic bag). With a cooktop fueled by a Sterno can, contestants will work their magic, hoping to be awarded the coveted Golden Canteen Cup.  Contestants can cook alone or in two-person teams.

There’s still time to sign up as a competitor, either as an individual or a two-person team, by contacting Michele Flynn at [email protected]. This year’s competition will be judged by local chefs and other local “celebrities.”

The competition starts at noon outside the Museum’s Devil Dog Diner and everyone is invited to join in the culinary fun, either as a competitor or spectator. If the awesome smells induce hunger, there are plenty of tasty meals in the museum’s diner and Tun Tavern, too.

Update from National Museum of the Marine Corps spokeswoman Gwenn Adams: 

“There’s a change to the time for the cookoff – it’s from 2 to 4 [p.m.]…”