For “Cowboy” Kent Rollins and his wife, Shannon, cooking with veterans shows how a simple recipe can offer structure, confidence and connection after military service.
The couple saw that firsthand while spending time in the kitchen with veterans through VETS, or Veterans Equine Therapeutic Services, a nonprofit program that began with equine therapy and has expanded to include activities such as archery and cooking.
“Food brings people together,” Shannon Rollins told Fox News Digital.
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Veterans who gathered to cook were able to work in teams, share stories and laugh, she said. “Sometimes it’s not about the food. I think that’s the best part.”
The event with VETS was filmed Sept. 13 and 14 at Grijalva Cattle Company in Connecticut for the third season of the Outdoor Channel’s “Cast Iron Cowboy,” Kent and Shannon Rollins’ TV show.
VETS’ Cowboy Kitchen, a program offered by the nonprofit, was actually inspired by Kent Rollins’ Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon Cooking School in Oklahoma. The program uses cooking to help veterans build confidence, self-reliance and connection.
Some of the veterans the Rollinses met with had little cooking experience, Kent Rollins told Fox News Digital. He noticed that they followed recipes before becoming comfortable enough to get creative.
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“They change things, they add things, they adapt, overcome — just like they always have in life,” he said.
Shannon Rollins also saw a connection between the structure of a recipe and the transition from military life back into civilian life.
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“When you get out of the military, life can feel chaotic,” she said. “With recipes, it’s a format. You follow the format and you have an end result and that feels good.”
For Veterans Day, the Rollinses are highlighting the kind of familiar, hearty food that can be made with everyday ingredients.
“You can’t get full on fancy,” Kent Rollins said. “This is food that you have in your house.”
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One crowd favorite was his wife’s corn fritters. Shannon Rollins said she makes them with flour, corn, a little sugar and baking powder, with green chile or jalapeño and onion as optional additions. She then forms the mixture into small patties and fries them.
“She was frying them as fast as she could, and they [were] running out just as fast as they hit the pan,” Kent Rollins said.
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The couple also served succotash and apple fritters to the vets, leaning into fall ingredients and regional flavors. Kent Rollins said the food was meant to be hearty and filling, while Shannon Rollins noted that familiar ingredients can help keep meals affordable.
Even with canned goods, home cooks can make small tweaks to boost the flavor, Kent Rollins said. The goal, he added, is food that is “easy on the pocket.”
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The cooking experience also left the couple thinking about the value of small gestures that show appreciation for veterans’ service on Veterans Day.
Veterans may be carrying burdens others don’t see, Kent Rollins said.
“Let’s take time to listen to them,” he said. “Let’s hear what they got to say.”
