Chef Opal Poullard: A Story of Persistence & Preparation
By Alexandra Zendrian
A two-time champion of Food Network’s “Chopped” and the honoree for this year’s Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM) who crafted an amazing menu for the event, Chef Poullard is making a large impact on the industry in her new culinary consulting business. f you don’t already know the name Chef Opal Poullard, you certainly will soon. I Constantly curious about the culinary world, Chef Poullard loved food as a child and despite coming from modest means, she wanted to dress up her Spaghettios with shredded Cheddar cheese and black pepper as a five- year-old. Like some eaters, she didn’t like her foods touching and enjoyed organizing culinary items on the plate, deciding which way to eat and pair them. Chef Poullard grew up in Los Angeles and decided to join the U.S. Air Force to find more opportunities. Despite her culinary desires for her future, Chef Poullard was selected to be part of the security forces division in the Air Force, which is the military police and combat unit. Her role took her on travels through Europe and Asia, where she studied the local cuisines. “For about 13 years I took the time when I did go to different bases, whenever I did get to travel to different areas … I tried to immerse myself as much as possible to get to know what I could about food,” Chef Poullard said. Trained in French cuisine as a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Chef Poullard loves Italian food “first and foremost” but also enjoys creating Indian curries and Korean soups.
In 2013, at a career fair for special duties after she was deployed in Afghanistan, Chef Poullard was hoping to become part of the Air Force’s culinary team, but it wasn’t until 2017 when she caught her “big break” and was reassigned from her security work. Since that time, Chef Poullard has been on fire. She has been a chef instructor for advanced culinary where she taught more than 300 military chefs, including those at the Pentagon and White House. It was through her chef instructor role that she first learned about the American Culinary Federation (ACF). In addition to her culinary training, Chef Poullard also received wine certifications.
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