The tragedies of September made them the heroes of 2001.

        But in addition to climbing ladders, dousing flames and pulling victims from burning buildings, firefighters cook. And they cook a lot more than that heartburn-in-a-bowl chili we always hear about: barbecued ribs, parsleyed new potatoes, corn bread, sometimes even Chateaubriand and crepes suzette.

        Firehouse cooks often have to feed a crowd fast, and they must always be prepared to drop knives and pans at the sound of an alarm. Worse, they must withstand wicked wisecracks and potshots from the dining room table. (Sometimes, it seems everyone who puts on a helmet is a food critic.)

        Still, they continue to cook — because they love it — and because heroes get hungry.

        Today, meet three of the best firehouse cooks in the Tristate:

Lieutenant/Paramedic Bill Donovan, Engine 3, Cincinnati Fire Department.

Bill Donovan, a lieutenant/paramedic at Company 3 of Cincinnati's Fire Division, downtown, specializes in preparing classic French dishes, such as lobster Thermidor and chicken Campanella. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        It is a little odd that Bill Donovan is known to most Cincinnati firefighters as “Gumby” and not the “chef” — especially considering his impressive culinary talents. But that's how nicknames stick.

        Mr. Donovan admits he was a huge fan of the gruff Gumby character re-popularized by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live during the 1980s. He loved the comedy skits so much, he used to perch a Gumby figurine on his dashboard.

        One day in 1987, when he had the figurine in his pocket for some reason, he made a run as a paramedic to an accident involving a 9-year-old girl. When the young patient became frightened about having an IV needle in her arm, Mr. Donvan pulled out Gumby to make her laugh. Ever since, they've called him Gumby.

        Mr. Donovan became a firefighter in 1985 — though he considered becoming a professional cook. Growing up in New York and Connecticut, he worked in restaurants in high school. He wanted to go the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., but the waiting list was too long. Thinking he might teach someday, Mr. Donovan went to Miami University to study psychology instead.

        While at college in Oxford, he worked in restaurant kitchens, and after graduation he went on to cook at fine restaurants like Grand Finale in Glendale. Mr. Donovan turned to firefighting as a career after he married and started a family.

        “My grandfather was a fire chief in Binghamton, N.Y.,” he says. “So I think I had firefighting in my blood.”

        His reputation in the kitchen preceded his arrival in the fire department. When he walked into his first engine house, the other firefighters were waiting hungrily. He started by turning out French classics like chateaubriand with bearnaise sauce, halibut d'estragon and chicken piccata. For dessert, he made baked Alaska and crepes suzette.

        The firehouse chef could cook the simple dishes as well, winning the Cincinnati and Ohio state chili cook-offs several times and competing in the International Chili Cook-Off twice. He and his wife, Gail, have chaired the Cincinnati chili festival since 1989.

        Duties as an officer allow him to cook only on special occasions and holidays (for Christmas this year, though, he'll cook for more than 30 family members and friends at home). But you can bet when the other firefighters hear Gumby is in the kitchen, they'll have their plates ready.

Firefighter/Paramedic Rodney McKibben, Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky International Airport Fire Department.

Rodney McKibben whips up pot pie and chicken enchiladas for the hungry crew at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Fire Department. | ZOOM |

        Divorce made Rodney McKibben a better man — or at least a better cook. He grew up on the home-cooked Kentucky meals of his mother — soup beans, fried potatoes and corn bread. But he never cooked.

        After his divorce, though, he had to learn the ways of the kitchen. He worked off a few recipes from cookbooks, but mostly learned by trial and error. Since he moved from the Maysville Fire Department to the airport department three years ago, Mr. McKibben has earned a reputation as one of the best cooks in the house.

        “Firefighters are kind of difficult to cook for,” says Mr. McKibben, now remarried. “Believe it or not, most like to cook. So they all think they can do it better.”

        But most airport firefighters don't criticize the flavor of his casserole chicken enchiladas.

        “Oh man, he's into my heart,” says assistant fire chief Roger Hamilton. “I love Mexican food.”

        For Christmas at the firehouse, Mr. McKibben will prepare barbecued ribs, new potatoes with parsley and corn-on-the cob. His other specialties include chicken pot pie and broccoli casserole.

        “The broccoli casserole is my wife's recipe,” he admits.

Those based at Cincinnati's Engine 19 in Corryville will agree Fire Apparatus Operator Larry Choate has progressed more than a little since he grilled burgers at Frisch's as a teen-ager. | ZOOM |

        His culinary training began when he was a child, watching his grandmother fix homey dishes. While in high school, Mr. Choate worked at Frisch's, but his repertoire has since grown beyond burgers and fish sandwiches. Now he grills turkey breast and chicken, and he has turned his fellow firefighters on to his version of spicy greens and a rich four-cheese mac and cheese laced with garlic.

        “I really love garlic,” he says.

        Mr. Choate agrees the most difficult thing about cooking in a firehouse is working around the emergency runs.

        “If you're making something and you get a run, then you might have to ask somebody to step in and finish it,” he says.

        Or, if no one can take over, the cook may have to pull the pans aside and turn off the stove. Firehouse cooks are evidently vigilant about this precaution because no one remembers (or admits to) a fire in a firehouse kitchen.

        Cooking for firefighters has helped prepare Mr. Choate for home duty. After he leaves his shift and catches up on his sleep, he cooks most days and nights for his wife, Leslie, three sons and two daughters. At least he doesn't have to worry about alarms going off.

Recipes

Chicken “Campanella”
        1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
        1/2 stick butter or margarine
       1 cup flour
       1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
       1 tablespoon black pepper
       6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
       2 large onions, sliced thinly
       1 large green bell pepper, sliced thinly
       1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
       2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
       1 tablespoon dried basil
       1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
       1 teaspoon garlic salt
       1 pound mushrooms, sliced thinly
       3 tomatoes, cored and quartered
        1/2 cup sherry
       4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
       Salt an pepper, to taste
       6 to 8 slices bread, toasted

        Heat oil and butter in large saute pan over medium heat. Mix flour with paprika and black pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Saute sliced onions and green pepper in oil mixture until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add floured chicken, spices and garlic salt and stir well. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

        Add sliced mushrooms, quartered tomatoes and sherry. Saute another 10 to 15 minutes; add salt and pepper, to taste.

        Place toast on large baking tray. Top toast with generous portion of chicken and vegetables. Garnish each portion with crumbled feta. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 5 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

        Scald milk with butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add a little hot milk to beaten eggs in bowl and whisk to combine. Add about 1/2 of milk to egg mixture off heat, stirring constantly. Return egg-milk mixture to saucepan over low heat. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir and simmer. Custard should thicken slightly.

        Meanwhile, boil macaroni in salted water about 5 minutes. Drain. Mix hot macaroni with shredded cheese and custard. Turn into large lightly greased casserole. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.

        Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

        In large pan, saute minced onions and chiles in butter over medium heat until onions are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream or milk and soup. Stir and simmer until hot; keep warm.

        Place cooked chicken in flour tortillas with shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in lightly greased 9-by-13-inch casserole. Pour soup mixture over tortillas and bake in 350-degree oven until bubbly. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Broccoli Casserole
        2 10-ounce packages frozen, chopped broccoli
        1/4 cup chopped onion
       1 can cream of mushroom soup
        1/2 small box Velveeta cheese, cubed
        1/2 cup milk
       1 tablespoon butter
       1 cup rice, cooked
       1 can french-fried onions

        Place broccoli and chopped onions in pan with 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

        In bowl, mix soup, cheese, milk, butter and cooked rice. Stir in cooked broccoli and onions. Turn mixture into lightly greased 2-quart casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, remove from oven and top with french-fried onions. Return to oven and bake about 5 minutes longer. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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