MEADVILLE, Pa. - Competition is known to breed innovation, force teams to perform in a cohesive manner to meet their objectives and prove they are the best. A prime example of this was demonstrated Oct. 29 during the Philip A Connelly Awards Program for Excellence in Army Food Service competition, at Keystone Training area, Conneaut Lake, Pa.
Soldiers from the 326th Quartermaster Company, New Castle, Pa., came together to prove they have what it takes to be the best Army Reserve Field Kitchen. The Connelly program, which was established in 1968, has had a major impact on the degree of professionalism associated with Army food service.
“This is the Super Bowl of food service,” said Ron Coneybeer, head observer for the event and Nestle Professional’s Corporate Executive Chef. “To even make it to this level they have already proven that they are winners and an A-Team.”
“There is a lot more to this event than cooking a meal,” added team leader, Warrant Officer Candidate, Willis Glass. “We need to cook in a combat environment for a sustained period.”
Two weeks prior to the event, the team arrived at the training site to prepare.. The first week was dedicated to digging a defensive perimeter and incinerator pit, filling sand bags, and prepping the site. Army cooks are not only judged on their culinary skills, but on their ability to do so in a combat environment. Factors such as security and sanitation are crucial to their long-term success.
The second week of preparation was spent experimenting with the menu.
“We experimented with the menu to see what worked, and what didn’t work,” said Glass. We had a lot of ideas but needed to make sure they were practical.” Adding, “We have to do things that separate us from the other teams. We try to enhance the recipe any way we can. They give us a guideline and we put a signature twist on it”
The menu included tomato soup, Cajun meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fresh glazed carrots, cucumber and onion salad, and strawberry shortcake.
In addition to cooking the meal, members of the team are tasked with providing force protection to include an entry supply point, keeping beverages readily available in the warming tents, disposing of trash, sanitizing the cooking equipment, and aiding the cooking crew in numerous other ways.
The team, which was led by Glass, included Staff Sgt. Russell Haley, Sgt. Ashley Williams, Spc. Spencer Meyers, Spc. Rickita Salter, and PV2 Corey Morris, and numerous other 326th soldiers who supported them.
Earlier this year they competed at the United States Army Reserve Command level, where they where one of the four teams to move on.
“No one out here is more important than anyone else,” said Glass. “Although the cooking team is the most visible, this is a team event and we need everyone to perform their assigned tasks.”
The team was tasked with making a meal for 60+ Soldiers in a Mobile Kitchen Trailer, had their work cut out for them over the course of the day. Steady snowfall and temperatures hovering around freezing kept the worksite cold, muddy, and slippery.
“This is great Army Training,” said Chief Warrant Officer Marc Morrell, USARC food service adviser. “The event takes place over the course of 18 months so that they will get different weather conditions. This gives me an opportunity to observe them in the field and check their proficiency on field equipment. This is much different from cooking in a dinning facility.”
Glass added, “The snow was one of our biggest obstacles. It was the first snow of the year, and it slowed us down. We are competing on the top level with three evaluators, and that adds more stress. With that being said, I am proud of the way we performed.”
The 326th will need to wait till 2012 to find out how they did. The Connelly event, which is managed by the Quartermaster School’s Joint Culinary Center of Excellence and co-sponsored by the International Food Service Executive Association and Department of the Army, will announce the results until all four teams competing have been judged at separate sites.