Navy Entertainment Hosts the Messlords in Singapore

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Veloicaza | SINGAPORE (March 28, 2018) – Morale Welfare and Recreation in partnership with Navy Entertainment, recently hosted a community luncheon featuring the Messlords, March 28, 2018, at the Singapore Area Coordinator’s Terror Club. Celebrity and Messlord chefs, Jeff Vanderlinde (left), and Stretch (right), meticulously pampered and prepared the meat using a special dry rub with a marinade injection process to retain moisture throughout the duration of the cooking.  

MANSAS CITY, MO, UNITED STATES

03.28.2018

Story by Christopher Veloicaza 

Singapore Area Coordinator

Morale Welfare and Recreation in partnership with Navy Entertainment, recently hosted a community luncheon featuring the Messlords, March 28, 2018, at the Singapore Area Coordinator’s Terror Club.

The Messlords are a group of celebrity chefs who tour U.S. military bases overseas entertaining and cooking for military communities. The event gathered more than 150 hungry participants who feasted on a buffet of smoked beef brisket, smoked pulled pork, grilled fish tacos, macaroni and cheese and corn bread all made in house. Messlord chefs, Jeff Vanderlinde, and Stretch, (yes that’s his stage name) meticulously pampered and prepared the meat using a special dry rub with a marinade injection process to retain moisture throughout the duration of the cooking. For chef Stretch, these tours are a way of bringing those serving overseas a bit of happiness.

“We want smiles,” Stretch said. “We think food is one of those communication devices that gives people a little taste of home. It might not be the best as you remember but it brings a little Americana to the far corners of the world such as where we are right now.”

Having started with only a few chefs in 2009, the Messlords now have 11 chefs that travel the world entertaining and cooking for military service members and their families. According to Stretch, some of the chefs are military veterans. Meanwhile, part of the criteria in being a Messlord is having been featured on television in order to meet the celebrity status.

For Matt Price, who works at Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, the food was well worth the price.

“The food was excellent,” Price said. “The mac and cheese was awesome and the pulled pork was great and the brisket wasn’t dry.”

The Messlords are on their last stop on a nine-day tour through Korea, Japan and Singapore. For chef Vanderlinde, who is on his first world tour, the memories are priceless.

“Everywhere we have went, the chefs, the souse chefs, and staff has treated us with nothing but respect and kindness and it just amazes me on what I’ve experienced on this tour,” Vanderlinde said.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2018
• Date Posted: 03.30.2018 03:35
• Story ID: 271193
• Location: MANSAS CITY, MO, US