One kitchen, two missions

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Angela Ruiz | An employee of the Seaside Galley, with Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and member of the detainee food preparation team cuts biscuits from dough for the detainees' lunches, April 6. The Seaside Galley does its part in supporting the JTF mission by providing service members deployed here with the closest thing to a home-cooked meal, and by keeping detainees' food safe, humane, healthful and satisfying.  

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

04.09.2010

Story by Staff Sgt. Angela Ruiz 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

Employees at the Seaside Galley have a mission that distinguishes it from any other Navy galley — anywhere. In addition to providing full food-service to the service members and civilians who support Joint Task Force Guantanamo, they cook for the detainees.

"No other galley in the Navy supports detainees," said Tim Pfingsten, Seaside Galley's detainee food preparation section manager. "That's what sets this galley apart from any other galley in the Navy, the special kind of mission we do here."

The Seaside Galley provides approximately 1,500 meals daily for JTF Guantanamo's service members, including providing meals for Kittery Café. The galley works around the clock to provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight meals to accommodate service members' different shifts.

The Seaside Galley does its part in supporting the JTF mission by providing service members deployed here with the closest thing to a home-cooked meal, and by keeping detainees' food safe, humane, healthful and satisfying.

Working out of the same kitchen that prepares meals for service members, the detainee food preparation section works in shifts from the early hours of the morning to well after dark each day. Different cooks prepare the detainee and service members' meals separately.

The team is charged with making accommodations for the detainees' diets, including six different meal types that center around religion, nutritional value and medical needs. On-site dietitians on-hand ensure the meals are properly prepared.

To provide quality service to the Joint Detention Group and to the JTF, communication is critical. The Seaside Galley detainee food preparation manager and the JDG liaison communicate daily when it comes to the detainees' meals.

"The camps and the galley have a good relationship," said Army Sgt.1st Class Robert Tapia, liaison between the JDG and Seaside Galley. "Both of the organizations are working toward a common goal of providing quality meals to fit their nutritional needs."

Sometimes, meeting those needs creates some interesting situations, and Tapia must be there to make it all work.

"I try to resolve problems whether they are big or small," Tapia said. "The result is everyone is constantly working to improve the detainees' meals."

• Date Taken: 04.09.2010
• Date Posted: 04.13.2010 17:04
• Story ID: 48099
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU