‘Cowboy’ chef serves up hope to ensure America’s heroes are never forgotten

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Chef Kent Rollins partnered with nonprofit VETS to teach veterans cooking, using hearty recipes to help them build connection after service.

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 Veterans Equine Therapeutic Services (VETS), a nonprofit program that began with equine therapy and has expanded to include activities such as archery and cooking.

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.

“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.

“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.”

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