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The Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) 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. Grasp is in the small ship category, having a crew of 30.
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.
Unlike MSC’s large ship winner, USNS Richard E. Byrd, who has a Food Service Team of 22, on Grasp 4 stewards, Steward Cook John O’Malley, Cook Baker Richard Adriatico, Supply Utilityman Sheen Balagot and Supply Utilityman Victor Rostia oversaw all the aspects of the award’s criteria including food service and ship hygiene during the award’s inspection period.
“This is a great recognition for the food service team on USNS Grasp. We have a small team that works tirelessly to keep the crew fed and happy”, said Capt. Patricia Greene, Grasp’s civil service master. “They take great pride in what they do and this is a direct reflection of that. Their hard work ensures the entire crew feels taken care of and that keeps moral up. They are an important part of our ability to do our mission, and I am very proud of their professionalism, and having them recognized by the food service community.”
This is not the first David M. Cook award for GRASP. The ship took the honor, three times in 2008, 2009, and 2022.
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: | 07.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2023 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 448907 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, USNS Grasp Wins David M. Cook Food Service Award In Small Ship Category, by Sarah Cannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
