The hands of Neill Hess have always been busy.

As a young man barely 18 years old in Korea, then later in Vietnam, the hands held the gun of an infantryman.

Later those hands cared for patients as a registered nurse.

And now, they are rolling out gooey dough, weaving it into small knots to be baked.

Twice retired as a U.S. Army veteran and a registered nurse, Mr. Hess, 69, is turning his attention to his passion in the kitchen and studying culinary arts as Augusta Technical College's oldest student.

The culinary arts are nothing new to the southwest Texas native, who was drafted into cooking at an early age.

"It all started when I was a kid, 12 or 13 years old, my mother got sick and put me in the kitchen," Mr. Hess said.

He can't recall the first thing he cooked, but he can remember the first thing that didn't come out right - peanut butter cookies he tried to bake for his father that could have instead been used for disc golf.

Often, Mr. Hess will whip up something at home and let classmates and instructors sample it. That includes a hot sauce he made recently that included a mix of jalapeos and peaches.

"He adds flavor to the course," culinary arts instructor Deborah Moreno said. "He just brings a lot to the party."

The aspiring chef has a lot of personality and is quite energetic, she said.

But he downplays his cooking, describing it as "nothing fancy," mostly smoking and grilling that leans toward Southwestern flavors.

"I just like to throw things into something and hope it comes out right," Mr. Hess said.

Wearing his culinary student uniform with the traditional chef's hat, Mr. Hess described what he called his "passion" for the kitchen, but was unsure of his plans after the six-quarter course.

"I'm not going to open up my own place," he said. "I'm too dadgum old for that."

About 17 percent of Augusta Tech's students are older than 40; more than 38 percent are older than 30.

Mr. Hess's second life was as a nurse, a career he held for 27 years before retiring. Suffering an injury while in the military, he came to appreciate the nurses who took care of him and wanted a challenge.

"I was taking care of people and that's what I enjoy doing," he said.

Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.