Private Suchita Tamang has been in the British Army for under three years but is already proving, if you dream big, anything can happen.
And she should know because she has recently been named the 2024 British Army Chef of the Year.
“Being a Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) Chef is not just about the food, it’s about your overall performance too,” says 33-year-old Suchita who serves with 19th Regiment Royal Artillery (19 Regt RA) - The Scottish Gunners, based at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire.
Regimental Catering Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2), 19 Regt RA, Matthew Hunter explained: “The Army Chef of the Year award is open to all chefs from across the trade, from Private to Warrant Officer.
“The criteria for the award consists of three elements: Innovation, leadership, and food quality. Twelve chefs were nominated, three of which were senior Staff Sergeants.”
Speaking about her success in the competition, Suchita added: “The judges consider your personality, your admin skills, how you conduct yourself, how you organise yourself, how you interact with people from other trades, as well as how you work when in the kitchen preparing and cooking meals.
“I’m really pleased to get this award, and as a Private soldier to reach this level of achievement in such a short period of time in my career makes me feel very proud too.”
Suchita was always destined for a career in the military. Her father, grandfather and great grandfather all served in the Gurkhas. So, in 2021 and without hesitation, she enlisted and became the next generation of her family to join the British Army.
Born in Hong Kong, Suchita later moved to Nepal where she attended school and university. In 2010, along with her family she moved to the UK and made Sandhurst, Berkshire her home.
She said: “I am very honoured to say that I am the first female from my entire family to join the British Army. This is very rare in Nepalese families. In Nepal they consider this as a very big deal, an honour.
“To see me coming out of my comfort zone and succeed in the Army makes my family and relatives in Nepal so proud. And this inspires me to keep on going and to do the best I can.”
Private Tamang has been in the Army for less than three years, but surprisingly, winning Army Chef of the Year isn’t the first accolade she has been awarded, in fact there have been several.
When deployed on Exercise Warfighter in Texas, USA, her first overseas Exercise since joining, she was picked from over 1500 personnel and awarded the General Officer Commanding Coin after she impressed with her hard work, commitment, and her contribution as part of a team.
Suchita joined the Army to explore and to have an adventure. To do the best job possible and make her family proud of her achievements:
“I believe in dreaming big,” she says. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That’s my motto.”
And after her Army Chef of the Year award, she was given a certificate and Conductor Coin from the RLC Head of Trade – The Conductor’s Coin is designed to recognise excellence by soldiers when performing above and beyond their normal expected work.
WO2 Hunter said: “Not only is she an extremely good operator as an Army Chef, but she also supports the local homeless shelter in Andover in her own time as well as volunteering as a translator for the Nepalese community.”
In her current role, no two days are the same. One day she could be working alongside civilian caterers preparing, cooking, and serving meals to soldiers at Larkhill. The next she could be in a field kitchen deployed on exercise. As we know, wherever British soldiers are the RLC Chefs are not far behind.
Suchita’s talents and dedication were further recognised when she was named Best Private/Gunner in 13 Battery 19 RA which was nominated by the Battery Sergeant Major.
Private Tamang sees a long and prosperous career ahead of her in the Army and agrees that in such a short period it has changed her life for the better:
“I am a very introverted person; I do not open-up to people really quickly. But after I joined the Army, I met lots of people from many different backgrounds and that helped me in a really positive way. I am now much more confident and more outgoing.”
The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs, and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50, and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, click here: British Army
