About the Book:
The Warrior’s Table tells the story of life in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community through the experiences of real SOF spouses and families across the service branches. Our family dinner team, The Cast Iron Crew, shares recipes from decades in SOF and how they safeguard what matters most. This unique cookbook is more than just that—it’s a book of delicious recipes and a guide to connecting and thriving in this demanding lifestyle.
The Warrior’s Table is available in bulk:
1 book = $49.99/book plus shipping
10 books = $44.99/book plus shipping
30 books = $39.99/book plus shipping
For bulk orders over 10 copies, please email info@ballastbooks.com.
About The Cast Iron Crew:
The Cast Iron Crew is MSOFC’s Family Dinner Team, composed of six spouses drawn from across Army, Navy, and Air Force special operations units:
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KaLea Lehman
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Lynnsy Snook
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Wendy Jo Peterson
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Andrea Geraldi
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Christine Trax
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Heather Campbell
A Letter from a Former Senior Leader Reflecting on the Importance of The Warrior’s Table:
Over the course of a long career in US Special Operations, I had the privilege of endorsing and supporting a large number of important activities and missions that went on to have positive and lasting impacts. Yet, until now, no one ever asked me to endorse a recipe book. Nonetheless, when I was first asked, I quickly realized that The Warrior’s Table may be among the most important efforts I’ve ever had the privilege to advocate for.
This work serves as a powerful reminder that the preparation, serving, and consumption of meals remains one humanity’s most important practices. This tradition not only ensured our species’ physical survival, the practice of meal-making and meal-taking has been foundational for how families and other human groups created and nourished the person-to-person relationships that ultimately define a successful society, and thereby sets the conditions that determine how likely any individual is to find happiness, fulfillment, and genuine joy in their lifetime.
Over the centuries, such a society could have been a small prehistoric tribe. It could have been a once thriving city-state during the Bronze Age in the ancient Fertile Crescent. Today, it would be any community, large or small, rural or urban, in modern America. No matter where one goes, the tradition of preparing, serving, and consuming a meal as groups or families has been one of the most important “binding agents” that weaves together the social fabric. And without that social fabric, there is no reliable backdrop or foundation for the happiness of the people of that society… either as individuals or as groups. More specific to The Warrior’s Table, this project also vividly portrays other powerful elements that directly relate to SOF veterans, and their loved ones, and the recipes within this work offer a familiar and comforting platform for celebrating these elements.
It reminds us of the powerful connection between our service to the nation and service we did in raising, nourishing, and serving our families.
It creates a familiar platform through which can be shared the experiences, joys, sorrows, adventures, and misadventures of what it means to be a SOF family and community.
It gives us the chance to renew our appreciation for multi-faceted and varied the backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, origins, and practices of the SOF Family are, and how that familiarity makes the entire community stronger and more resilient.
It creates an opportunity to remember and honor the extraordinary history and heroic deeds of the SOF community, both at home and abroad…whether in combat, in humanitarian relief efforts, or otherwise helping ensure the safety and security of populations from the predations of evil-doers. And, perhaps most importantly of all, this work can provide almost limitless opportunities for all of us…service member and family member alike, comrade-to-comrade, spouse-to-spouse, parent-to-child, service member to civilian, old to young…to cherish each other, to recall that we need each other, and that we love and respect each other, and that…come what may…we will always BE THERE for each other.
With gratitude and respect, Michael K. Nagata, LTG (R) Arlington, VA
Reviews:
“I’ve always been a believer in food’s incredible power to bring people together. The brilliance of Warrior’s Table is how it focuses that power on those who need it most. After all, it is not just the individuals in uniform who serve our nation; the whole family serves, and those families make incalculable sacrifices, spending more time apart than should be asked of anyone. A book of this nature isn’t just long overdue; its excellence is a perfect tribute to those it honors."
-Chef Robert Irvine
“I spent my career rarely at home and when I was home from a deployment, I had every excuse why I wouldn’t be home in time for dinner. Work was my priority and my family time suffered for it. Even though I spent my childhood having to be home at dinner and at dark, I didn’t fully realize the impact and importance of gathering around the table to share a meal until we began making it our priority and then a rule. All phones are turned off and left in the living room and we all pitch in to make and clean up. The impact has been significant, we are more in tune with what’s going on in each other’s lives, and we are stronger and more connected because of it. Make family dinner a priority before it’s too late; that time is precious and you don’t get a do over."
-Command Sgt. Major (Retired) Tom Satterly, Co-Founder of All Secure Foundation and author of All Secure: A Special Operations Soldiers Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront
“I really love it. I wish I and (other operators) were issued this when I first got to SOF. It is something I could have referenced from time to time.”
-career, special operations NCO
“This book is so powerful! It encourages SOF families and friends to embrace the lifestyle; establish norms (when there really isn’t a norm); and keep their family traditions strong. The Warrior’s Table provides families with bits of wisdom about how to find stability and comfort in this way of life. I hope all who read it gain confidence in this special operations lifestyle and all its moments of joy, happiness, connection, and sadness, and most of all gain a sense of pride and appreciation in the enduring capabilities of our community.”
-Cher Powers, Army special operations spouse of 22 years