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For the eleventh time, the Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) has been recognized for its outstanding food service program with the annual Capt. David M. Cook award for food service excellence.
Byrd competed with ships throughout the MSC fleet, with the ships divided into two categories based on crew size -- the ships in the small ship category have crews of 75 people or less and the ships in the large ship category have crews of 75 or more people. Byrd is in the large ship category, having a crew of 124.
Ships nominated for the award go through an extensive review process conducted by Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force offices, located in Norfolk and San Diego. The ships are evaluated on things such as the ship’s financial accountability, sanitation, safety, customer service, menu planning/presentation, and crew surveys.
According to Daniello Puniesto, Byrd’s chief steward, Byrd follows the standard MSC/Navy meal plan, but put their own special touches to things, making already good meals, better.
“We like to spice things up,” explained Puniesto. “We like to add things like fresh herbs, and spices; things that will make the dishes better.”
One example of this is the ship’s weekly Taco Tuesday taco bar. In addition to the standard items like cheese and lettuce, the stewards offer fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, made from items found on the local economy.
Puniesto also mentioned that Byrd is the only ship in the MSC fleet that is able to provide charbroiled meats; especially steaks, something he personally cooks every Sunday.
“Each steward has their own signature meal,” said Capt. Lee Apsley, Byrd’s civil service master. “They really work to tune it up, and improve it and make it their own. This kind of pride in what they do really shines through and gives a quality product that the whole crew can enjoy and that they can feel good about offering.”
Both Apsley and Puniesto agree that good food means a happy crew and plays a huge part in the overall moral of the ship. For this reason, Byrd’s food service team is constantly looking for new ideas to implement and offer the crew. Some of the most popular things include Mongolian barbeque and pizza nights.
“We have two pizza and movie nights a week while at-sea,” said Apsley. “One night we have pizza and wings, and the other is pizza and a make-your-own nacho bar. Both are very popular with the crew, and something they look forward to.”
Ship cleanliness and hygiene also falls to the Byrd’s 22 stewards. Each one is responsible for and area of the ship and each area is inspected and evaluated as part of the Cook Award. Just like the meals they cook, each member of the team takes this aspect as seriously, and takes pride in what they do.
“Regardless of where they work, these guys really do take ownership of what they do. They are true professionals,” said Apsley. “People who come onboard Byrd always remark at what a clean ship we have. A clean ship also adds to the crew’s moral.”
With eleven awards on the shelf, the Byrd team is already looking forward to 2024 with the hopes of a twelfth award. Improvements are on the horizon in the form of a new ice-cream machine. Recently, the mess areas were refurbished with new flooring and new furniture. In addition, Puniesto said that he is reworking his budget so that he can add more food to the already plentiful menus.
“I couldn’t be happier with this team’s performance. Eleven awards!! It is unprecedented,” said Apsley. “We are swinging for the fence next year!”
The Captain David M. Cook Award honors MSC's former director of logistics, Capt. David M. Cook. While serving as MSC’s logistics director from 1995 until 1998, he was instrumental in enhancing every aspect of food service operations at MSC, from training for food service staff to nutrition education for ship crews.
For more information on careers/employment with Military Sealift Command, visit https://sealiftcommand.com/.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2023 13:14 |
| Story ID: | 448624 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 353 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, USNS Richard E. Byrd Wins 11th David M. Cook Food Service Award, by Sarah Cannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
