Photo By Sgt. Jessica Collins | Lt. Col. Gary Spinelli, left, Chef Nydia Ekstrom, center, and Master Gunnery Sgt....... read more read more
Subscribe
FUTENMA, Japan - Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Mess Hall competed for the Maj. Gen. William Pendleton Thompson Hill Memorial Award March 1 on MCAS Futenma.
The W.P.T. Hill award was established in 1985 to reward high-quality food service by identifying the best mess halls throughout the Marine Corps.
Hill was the quartermaster general of the Marine Corps from 1941 until 1955. The quartermaster department is tasked with furnishing all the material needs of the Corps.
The award recognizes the efforts made by food service specialists to provide nutritional meals for their fellow Marines, as well as their commitment to excellence.
“This award is like the Super Bowl of food service,” said Master Sgt. Anthony Gonzales, the station mess hall manager for MCAS Futenma. “We’re the conference champions going head-to-head with another mess hall to see who comes out on top.”
MCAS Futenma Mess Hall was the best mess hall of the fiscal year 15 for the Pacific region and has earned best mess hall of the quarter seven times in a row.
“This award goes to the best of the best,” said Chef Nydia Ekstrom, an evaluator for International Food Service Executives Association. “I judge them on many categories including sanitation, taste, presentation, and quality of food. To earn this award, they must be outstanding in all areas of food service.”
The evaluation team observed the kitchen as Marines and master labor contractors made haste to ensure the food was presentable, ready to serve and in the correct place.
“We also look at how the Marines use their time,” said Ekstrom. “They should be efficiently employed and the food should be prepared according to the recipes.”
Ekstrom stopped to talk to a few of the workers to give them pointers for improving future meals.
“Getting the chance to work with Chef Ekstrom was an honor,” said Cpl. Pauliasi Tamale, a food service specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “She’s an incredible chef and having her there giving me advice on how to better myself was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Once everything was prepared and the line was ready, the evaluators tasted the food that the Marines spent all morning preparing.
“It was a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding” said Tamale. “It’s awesome being recognized for all the hard work we put into our jobs.”
The winner of the WTP Hill award is expected to be announced at the beginning of April.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2016 01:26 |
| Story ID: | 191676 |
| Location: | FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Hometown: | ALBUQUERQUE, NM, US |
| Hometown: | BRONX, NY, US |
| Hometown: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Hometown: | NEW ORLEANS, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 262 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MCAS Futenma Mess Hall Marines compete for WTP Award, by Sgt Jessica Collins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT