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CAMP KINSER, Japan – U.S. Marines with Food Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, took part in a cake-baking competition at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 6, 2025. The competition gave Marines with Food Service Company the opportunity to showcase their baking, teamwork, and creativity in commemoration of the 250th Marine Corps Birthday.
The day before the cake-baking competition, Cpl. Janiyah Farrington and Lance Cpl. Bedsaida Champagne, food service specialists with Food Service Company, CLR-37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, finalized their cake decorations at the Camp Kinser Mess Hall, Nov. 5, 2025.
Champagne explained that three teams of two Marines would compete to bake a sheet-pan cake from scratch. Their cakes would then be blindly judged by Col. Paul B. Bock, commanding officer of CLR-37, and Sgt. Maj. Nathan Jacobson, command senior enlisted advisor of CLR-37. Although competitors could draw inspiration from the 250th Marine Corps Birthday, they were encouraged to use full creative freedom in their designs.
“We are foodies over here,” Champagne said, “but Cpl. Farrington came up with most of the ideas, and I threw in my inspiration here and there. We don’t usually make things like this, especially this size. So, when we get the chance, we’re going to crush it.”
On Nov. 6, 2025, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Seth Smith, company operations officer of Food Service Company, CLR-37, and Gunnery Sgt. Kadine Mora, field mess platoon commander, prepared their own cake for the competition at the Camp Kinser Mess Hall.
“The purpose of this competition is to display to the command the capabilities of the 3381s [food service specialists],” Smith said. “Although baking is not necessarily a day-to-day task assigned to the Marines anymore, they are still truly passionate about putting out food service excellence. We really owe it to them to give them a chance to make something amazing for the CO.”
After the competition concluded, the winning team – Cpl. Okikola Jenmi and Lance Cpl. Jevonda Lindie, both food service specialists with Food Service Company, CLR-37 – reflected on their experience.
“As a field mess Marine, it is a rare opportunity for me to come into the mess hall and work,” said Lindie.
Jenmi, who balanced duty and work responsibilities while helping bake two cakes, said the effort was worth it. She explained that the hard work and dedication put in during the days leading up to the event paid off for the Marines participating.
Four cakes were created for the competition. Smith and Mora worked together to produce a three-tier traditional Marine Corps Birthday cake. Farrington and Champagne baked a chocolate coffee cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. Jenmi and Lindie created two cakes: a red velvet cake with brown-butter cream cheese icing, and the winning cake – a lavender and earl grey-flavored cake with orange and lemon brown-butter cream cheese icing.
Following the judging, the cakes were displayed and served by Marines, to Marines, at the Camp Kinser Mess Hall as part of the 250th Marine Corps Birthday Meal.
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2025 01:39 |
| Story ID: | 551483 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Combat Logistics Regiment 37’s Food Service Company Holds a Cake Baking Competition in Commemoration of 250th Marine Corps Birthday, by LCpl Rachel Mason, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
