Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Kelsey Eades | SAN DIEGO (Nov. 23, 2023) Culinary Specialist Seaman Emmanuel Santiaguel, assigned to...... read more read more
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NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO - The smell of freshly baked pie, honey rolls, turkey and spice filled the air as a group of over 800 friends and family, brought together through service, gathered around the table to give thanks on one of the most celebrated days of the year, Thanksgiving. In order to accomplish a meal of this magnitude, a team of over 80 trained specialists worked tirelessly behind the scenes to provide a special holiday experience for the crew and their families aboard Boxer.
To coordinate such an enormous undertaking, all hands in the food service division were called upon to play a vital role in the evolution. The architect behind it all was Chief Warrant Officer 2 Naomi Alba, a native of Palmdale, California, and the ship’s food service officer.
“It is the biggest time of the year for the culinary specialists to showcase their skills and creativity,” said Alba. “It is truly a reward to see them come together and put on such an amazing event for their shipmates and their families.”
The preparations began with choosing each dish for the menu three months prior to the holiday. It requires a subject matter expert that is knowledgeable on logistics, planning and what ingredients and man hours it takes to assemble and cook each dish.
“It takes the team about three hours just to construct the menu, and it will take up to five days for leadership to meticulously assess and approve it,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Luke Mouansie, a native of Cameroon, West Africa. “From there, we account for how many service members will attend and estimate how many family members will also join us. It’s a lot of planning and knowledge from years of serving to know what you’ll need.”
Five days prior to the banquet, the laborious task of food preparation began. Five decks below the galley is the ship’s large freezer. Inside, Sailors gathered 26 turkeys, four pigs and various other meats, vegetables and sweets to transfer via elevator to the galley.
“We thaw the meat and prepare it with seasonings such as garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and butter,” said Chief Culinary Specialist Jason Smith, a native of Mesa, Arizona. “And when it comes to cooking just the turkeys, we slow cook them at 250 degrees for six hours and baste them every hour for the juiciest taste.”
The stuffing was prepared to pair perfectly with the turkey, and the honey dinner rolls brought a sweet touch to the plate. Each item was selected to complement one another for the feast. In order to create each dish, every ingredient was meticulously accounted for to ensure all requirements were met for the big day.
“When you look at a recipe card it may only feed 100 people, so we have to do all of the math to account for everyone we’re serving that day,” said Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Nathaniel Chubb, the bake shop specialist and a native of Hasperia, California. “We have to ensure that every item has the right amount of ingredients on station to be served that day.”
This is the biggest event of the year for the division and the food service team added their own personal touches to ensure mission success.
“I like to add in my tradition of serving baked mac-n-cheese,” said Mouansie. “It’s pretty similar to my mother’s. She used to make it on my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s my piece of home I like to share with the crew.”
Smith elaborated on the dedication his crew puts into pulling off the most anticipated meal of the year.
“We put forth our finest presentation from the garnishes on the table down to the creases on our uniforms,” said Smith. “Our crew works in rounds throughout the night in order to deliver the finest experience to our shipmates and their families.”
On Thanksgiving Day, the food service department arrived at 4:30 a.m. to don their freshly ironed smocks and relieve the night crew, who worked through the night to prepare. Then the team brought the meal to the finish line where each dish received the final touches of spice and presentation for the spread.
“At the end of the day, you’re taking care of your family,” said Chubb. “For some people, this is all they have. And even though I won’t be able to spend this time with my children, my family knows that I am here to give back to the crew and help these Sailors reconnect.”
As the time to celebrate drew closer, each item was meticulously placed and presented to bring the ensemble together. The serving line was decorated with swan-cut apples and flowers made from bell peppers. In the mess decks, pumpkins, cornucopias, fall leaves and various other decorations filled the tables and walls. For dessert, various pies, breads, egg nog and cake were presented. All for an extraordinary dining experience made for a family of 800. Behind it all was a crew filled with a love for cooking and dedication to service.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2023 13:44 |
| Story ID: | 459567 |
| Location: | NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Giving Thanks: Boxer celebrates Thanksgiving with Family and Friends, by PO1 Kelsey Eades, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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