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The aroma of baked chicken and sautéed peppers fill the stainless-steel wardroom galley of the Arleigh
Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson, the fragrant smells in a battle for recognition
against the cacophony of pans, the crackling sizzle of the grill, and the relentless clatter of dishes. As a
small crew bustles between stations, a lone figure in red and black, capped and focused, hunches over
the heat. Sweat beads on his brow as he alternates between stirring a simmering pot and flipping
peppers on the grill. Each sizzle, each turn of the spoon, connects him to his mission, his goal, like a
whispered blessing from his great-grandmother, her recipes echoing through generations.
"I remember family meals, seeing the smiles on everyone’s face as they ate, and thinking, 'Yeah, I want to do that,'" said Culinary Specialist (CS) Seaman Keshawn Simmons. "I asked my great-grandmother to teach me to cook, and she did. I think that's where my passion comes from. I loved working with her; it
was the best feeling in the world.”
For Simmons, that foundational desire in his childhood made cooking as much a part of who he is, as
what he wants to become. From a young age, his great-grandmother fostered a love of cooking that
pulled him out of bed each morning to help him prepare the day’s meals and pulled him from Georgia to
the other side of the world to watch the sunrise over a distant ocean. Each early morning driving him to
start the day, to complete a similar task.
The early mornings with his great-grandmother, Simmons says, weren't always easy, but they were
formative.
"Sometimes she would wake me up early, maybe like 5 or 6, so we could prepare breakfast. At the time,
I didn't like that part, but once you cook it, once you taste it… She taught me you can’t rush food; you
have to be patient. There is an art to cooking, and if you rush through it, you can ruin the masterpiece."
Now those 5 a.m. mornings of his childhood in Jonesboro, Georgia, seem pale compared to the 4 a.m.
wake-up calls to make breakfast each day aboard the destroyer, but during those long hours Simmons
uses the thing he loves to connect him to his chosen family halfway around the world.
“Sharing food with someone is like sharing a part of yourself,” says Simmons. “I love being able to make
something and see the crew enjoying it, especially when they don’t know I made it.”
Even though he knew he would be doing something he loved when he headed to 7th Fleet, traveling to
the other side of the world to live with strangers isn’t an easy change of pace. Simmons, though, has
found connection and embraced the change, integrating into his life aboard the Ralph Johnson and
credits the crew for making the change easier.
“My favorite part of my time aboard has been finding a second family and making lifetime memories,”
says Simmons.
Some of these memories have been forged in places Simmons never thought he would get to see;
memories forged in India, the Republic of Korea, and Japan—all stories that will last a lifetime.
“I thought I would be stationed in California, or somewhere in the U.S. Now, I want to see the world.
There is so much more than just Georgia and Chicago,” Simmons says with a smile on his face and with
an air of excitement.
Many people travel the world for adventure, culture, or history, but for Simmons the call is more
fundamental.
“I came to the Navy because I wanted to get a feel for what it is like to cook for so many people, but it
also lets me taste different foods and spices from all over the world,” explains Simmons. “Going to India
and tasting Indian food—that was my first time trying it. I get to taste all kinds of authentic food from all
over the world.”
After gaining experience through the Navy, Simmons plans on attending culinary school and dreams of
one day opening not one, but two restaurants back home in Georgia, cooking the things his great-
grandmother first taught him years ago. The echo of history past still reverberating today through soul
food and barbeque.
"Those were my two favorite foods growing up,” explains Simmons. His passion for cooking, and
connection to his family is evident as he continues. “Ever since my great-grandmother taught me how to
cook them… I just love them.”
For Simmons, his dreams originated with his great-grandmother, but the Navy is a catalyst.
"When I think about joining, I think about happiness and being liberated. I never would have seen the
world, tasted the food, the spices. If I hadn’t joined the Navy, I would have stayed in Georgia all my life."
And as he surveys the bustling galley, the scent of spices mingling with the familiar aroma of home, he
knows that he's exactly where he's meant to be—a world away from Georgia, yet closer than ever to his dreams.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2025 04:30 |
| Story ID: | 543306 |
| Location: | INDIAN OCEAN |
| Hometown: | JONESBORO, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Where Spices Meet the Sea: A USS Ralph Johnson Sailor works towards his lifelong goal, by PO1 Hannah Fry, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
