Mobile Kitchens deliver comfort and quality to Maple Resolve troops

Photo By Sgt. David Turner | Sergeant Jacob Hauck, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, gets lunch served from a Canadian Army mobile kitchen during Exercise Maple Resolve 16 at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta, May 31. “They’re a little smaller than the U.S. Army,” said Hauck, “but they function really well.” Hauck said he was impressed with the quality of food served in the field during the exercise, the Canadian Army’s largest, especially their breakfast. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Turner, 214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAMP WAINWRIGHT, AB, CANADA

05.31.2016

Story by Sgt. David Turner 

214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CANADIAN FORCES BASE WAINWRIGHT, Alberta – By 11:30 a.m., the Canadian Army’s food service personnel are in high gear, getting ready for the lunchtime rush at Airfield 21. Soldiers taking part in Exercise Maple Resolve 16 are already lining up for chow as Canadian Air Force Avr B Clint Grierson finishes seasoning pasta and setting out sandwiches inside one of the 1st Service Battalion’s new mobile kitchens, a SEV, or Special Equipment Vehicle.

“I’ve only used the MKTs before, and this is a lot better,” said Grierson, referring to the well-known workhorse used by both American and Canadian armies, the Mobile Kitchen Trailer. Where the MKT resembles a camper, with tarps that provide cover, the SEV looks like a standard shipping container when packed, but expands to nearly three times the size and contains many amenities the old MKTs don’t, such as sinks, air conditioning and heat--everything running on diesel. Inside it looks like any commercial kitchen.

“It does have its bonuses,” said Sgt. Roland Coutu, of the Canadian army’s 1st Service Battalion. Coutu doesn’t’ think the SEV can replace the high mobility of an MKT, but sees definite advantages during an exercise such as Maple Resolve, with more permanent camps, similar to a forward operating base.

They give his Soldiers a chance to train not just on newer equipment, but while serving a greater capacity than they may be used to. With more than 6,000 service members of several countries in the area, his six kitchens will serve up to a thousand-plus people per meal at the peak of the exercise.

“It’s the first time [the SEVs] have been used this extensively,” said Coutu. “It’s a new piece of equipment for all of us, but they really seem to enjoy working on them.”

With this being the Canadian Army’s largest exercise, operations run day and night, and food service personnel stay busy, working in shifts to accommodate the traffic flow.

“It’s 24 hours, go-go-go on these things,” said Coutu.
American Soldiers and Marines getting their hot lunch seemed especially impressed by both the quality of the product served from the SEVs, as well as the hospitality they’ve enjoyed while training in Canada.

“The food is usually pretty awesome out here,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Angela Russel, of Libby, Montana, as she dined on a Philly-style cheesesteak sandwich. Russel is a member of the 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment and a ten-year veteran of the Oregon National Guard. “This is the best field chow I’ve ever had.”

The Canadians she works with daily have been “amazing – they’ve been super friendly, super helpful,” she said. Her favorite offerings include the curry soup, chicken cordon bleu, and grilled steak.

“They’re a lot more detailed in what they do,” said Sgt. Jacob Hauck, with the 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment. “It’s definitely exceeded my expectations.”

“Our guys are like ‘meh’,” joked Grierson. “All the Americans are polite and well-mannered and they appreciate all the food we’re cooking for them.”

“I guess they’re not as used to it as our guys,” he said.

• Date Taken: 05.31.2016
• Date Posted: 06.02.2016 12:04
• Story ID: 199764
• Location: CAMP WAINWRIGHT, AB, CA