By Sgt. Rachel Krogstad, 368th Public Affairs Detachment
Fort McCoy, Wis. - The 826th Ordnance Company food service section prepared a meal for the U.S. Army Reserve Command level of the Philip A. Connelly Awards Program at Fort McCoy, Wis., May 3.
The competition evaluates more than the four-man-team’s ability to cook.
“It also evaluates how well they set up a tactical field kitchen site and the overall ability of the food service section,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Dennett, 377th Theater Sustainment Command.
“It instills professionalism. It gives food service some recognition for the hard work that they do,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Pamela Null, an Army food adviser who serves as one of the two judges traveling to individual unit competitions. “We evaluate them in ten different categories, including field food safety, food quality, site layout, and attitude.”
This year the judges at the USARC level are evaluating 14 units. The top four will move on to the Department of the Army level. The top four food service teams will be announced Aug. 1. The DA level competition begins in October and runs through December.
The Philip A. Connelly Award Competition is an annual evaluation by the Department of the Army, in conjunction with the International Food Service Executives Association, to recognize the skills and achievements of Army food service soldiers.