The County Times
Newsmaker
Thursday, September 12, 2013
30
Make Food, Not War
Culinary Commander By Kimberly Alston Contributing Writer
Whether out in the field or home on leave, members of our Armed Forces always find a way to serve. Jake Wilkins is no exception. He recently created Culinary Commander, an online recipe book created from his past experiences. While home on leave for two weeks after being stationed in Afghanistan, Wilkins said that he “needed something to do”. He created Culinary Commander as a way to share recipes he has learned through traveling throughout his life, with the public. The idea for Culinary Commander came in late June and on July 8, the site was launched. “Cooking is my passion,” Wilkins said. After his time with the Army is over, in about seven months, Wilkins plans to open a restaurant serving fine dining in Southern Maryland. “An area that will keep me busy a lot” is Wilkins’ goal. He has some plans for it already and hopes to begin the process and have it opened within two years after coming home for good Wilkins said that he wants his restaurant to be different than most. “My goal,” he said, “is to change the menu every month, using local products.” Some of the recipes from his site will be a part of the menu, depending on the time of year. Culinary Commander also serves as an online store, selling different kitchen gadgets, cheaper than most stores would. With products ranging in prices from $7.99 to $229.99, Wilkins sells equipment from KitchenAid, Hamilton Beach, Black&Decker appliances and more. His aunt, Wilkins said, was the one who originally came up with the idea to sell products online. “Selling” he said, “helps fund the website and the future”. Culinary Commander competes with other distributer websites, trying to sell higher in kitchen appliances as lower prices. While he is saving up to open a restaurant in the future, every month, Wilkins still donates 5 to 10 percent of the proceeds from his site different military fundraising events or projects, such as the Wounded Warriors Project. He does this “for my buddies that got injured on my tour to Kandahar Afghanistan in 2012”. He feels as though donating is his way of giving back. As of right now, Wilkins has put up a variety of recipes on the Culinary Commander website including peanut butter cream pie, banana chocolate milkshakes, strawberry bread and grilled rib eye steaks with citrus-roasted Chile salsa. He also has a Facebook page which keeps his site up to date during renovations as well as posts special events, giveaways and contests. For more information visit www.culinarycommander.com, www. facebook.com/CulinaryCommander, www.shop.culinarycommander. com or email culinarycommander@gmail.com kimberlyalston@countytimes.net
Photos courtesy of www.facebook.com/culinarycommander