Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Tyler Miller | VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (Feb. 9, 2024) Naval Station Norfolk’s Best of the Mess team,...... read more read more
Sailors assigned to Naval Station (NAVSTA) Norfolk’s Pirate Cove galley competed and were named the overall winners at the Best of the Mess competition at the Founders Inn, Feb. 9.
The annual Best of the Mess competition is hosted by the Chief Petty Officer Scholarship Fund (CPOSF), a publicly supported charity organization that generates and distributes funds to provide educational opportunities to qualified families of Chief Petty Officers. Since 1988, the organization has award more than $1.7 million to qualified candidates.
This year’s Best of the Mess theme was “Get Your Thrill” which took participants and guests back in time to a 1950’s Sock Hop. The event included a silent auction along with the cook-off between six different commands.
NAVSTA Norfolk’s competition included USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Arlington (LPD 24), USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). NAVSTA Norfolk’s team consisted of Culinary Specialist 1st Class Phillip Harrison Jr., Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Guadalupe Garcia and Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Brian Snell Jr.
Each team were given the same five ingredients to feature in their dishes. This year’s ingredients were pork shoulder, sweet potatoes, fennel, yuzu and rhubarb.
According to NAVSTA Norfolk’s team captain, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Phillip Harrison, the first step was to meet with his team to create the menu.
“Once we found out the required ingredients we sat down to come up with a plan and solidify our menu” said Harrison. “We bounced around tons of ideas, did lots of research and decided to do more of a fusion menu.”
NAVSTA Norfolk’s menu consisted of rustic sweet potato soup, griot with piklis on top of jon jon rice and fennel salad and for dessert yuzu pound cake with rhubarb glaze.
In addition to cooking, the chefs had to present and extensively explain their choice of dishes to the judges which is also part of the score sheet.
“I am so incredibly proud of these Sailors,” said Capt. Janet Days, NAVSTA Norfolk Commanding Officer. “Over the last couple weeks they have rehearsed, practiced and continued to refine their amazing craft! These Sailor and our galley is top notch!”
Following the presentation and tasting, the winners were announced. NAVSTA Norfolk’s planning, hard work and determination paid off as they were crowned the overall ‘Best of the Mess.’ USS George H.W. Bush received 1st runner up and USS Arlington received 2nd runner up.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2024 09:02 |
| Story ID: | 464325 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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