Get Cooking with Firehouse Chef José Fuste
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The first time José Fuste cooked dinner at a firehouse, he made lasagna and mashed potatoes, one of his favorite meals as a kid. "The lasagna was so small, it hardly fed the guys, but the mashed potatoes were awesome," he remembers. "They all busted on me for years about mashed potatoes and lasagna." |
José (far right) with the other fire fighters on his shift
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The ribbing couldn't have been that bad, because 17 years later, Fuste is still the main chef for his shift, which these days is at Fire Station 19 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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"I stepped up to the plate because I don't mind cooking, and I want us to eat together," says the 37-year-old fire fighter from Montgomery County Local 1664. "The shifts that eat together are happier."
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Shopping at the local market
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His motto as a chef is quick, quick, quick and easy. The firehouse is next door to a grocery store, so Fuste says he shops and cooks dinner in just an hour. (Breakfast and lunch are "on your own.") He knows what the five other fire fighters on his shift like to eat, and he works from there--usually making up meals or getting ideas from food shows on TV. |
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All the fire fighters at Fire Station 19 are trying to eat healthier. They buy multi-grain bread and use a yogurt spread instead of butter. Fruit has replaced cookies as a snack. They also drink water and iced tea made fresh every morning instead of soda.
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"We're slowly changing our ways," says James Beecken, 45, master fire fighter, who has been on the job since 1989. "Now when we work on weekends, we might make a traditional breakfast like bacon and eggs. Otherwise it's going to be oatmeal, cereal, yogurt."
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