Photo By James Foehl | CHICAGO (May 15, 2026) Sailors representing the Navy's afloat and ashore winners of...... read more read more
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CHICAGO – Sailors representing the Navy's afloat and ashore winners of the 2026 Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Food Service Awards were formally honored during a Military Foodservice Awards dinner at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, May 15.
“These young men and women represent the best of the best of our society, and now they're being recognized as the best of the best in their craft,” said Rear Adm. Kevin M. Corcoran, deputy commander, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). “That is excellence and how this nation was built. That's how this nation sustains itself, and that's how this Navy is going to be the best in the world for a long time.”
Winners included teams from Virginia-class attack submarines USS Iowa (SSN 797), homeported in Groton, Conn., and USS Mississippi (SSN 782), homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), homeported in Norfolk, Va., and USS Decatur (DDG 73), homeported in Pearl Harbor; San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), homeported in Norfolk, and USS San Diego (LPD 22), homeported in San Diego; America-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), homeported in San Diego; Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), homeported in Norfolk; Naval Station Newport, R.I.; Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego; and Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.
"I feel like this is a shout-out to who's the best within their class, plus it's a good morale boost. It gives each person, down to the cook on watch, motivation," said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Edward Collins, assigned to USS San Diego. "Every position matters, especially when it comes down to cleaning and administration. Everything matters, everything gets inspected, so when someone wins the Ney, it means everyone did their part."
For Navy culinary teams across the fleet, winning a Ney Award is a significant achievement, recognizing excellence in food quality, professionalism, service, and a commitment to maintain superior standards.
“To ‘think Ney every day’ is to give one hundred percent every day; with sanitation, putting out the best product, being in the storerooms, and making sure inventory is straight. Our records keeper and her ability to keep up with the books and keep everything financially together, is what I think Ney every day means,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Don McAdams, assigned to USS Makin Island. “I'm honored to be here. I won the Ney as a junior guy, but I didn't really understand what it meant and the impact it has until now.”
“This shows the junior guys that you can actually win something. With all your effort, putting in a little extra work, you can get some recognition, go someplace you’ve never been, learn new things, and network with others,” said Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Ashley Bass, assigned to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka. “It also brings the community together and shows that being a cook isn't just galley work or work with no gratitude. This event is our thank you for everything we do.”
Hosted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and NRA Educational Foundation, the awards dinner was held in conjunction with a three-day training event for Sailors and military personnel that included effective restaurant management, agricultural readiness and sustainable sourcing, whole-product utilization and culinary efficiency, menu innovation and planning, and opportunities to learn about new products, equipment, and best practices.
“I really enjoyed the event. It definitely showed me some different aspects of the restaurant side,” said Bass. “I like learning about the different aspects and how I could change my mindset of the cooking industry because it’s not all about cooking. A lot of it is management, taking numbers, and putting the right people in the right positions.”
The annual competition is also designed to improve Sailors' quality of life, with the galley playing an essential role in crew morale and warfighting readiness.
"On submarines, the galley is where the entire crew's morale comes from," said Senior Chief Culinary Specialist Sean Higgins, assigned to USS Mississippi. "We had a very high operational tempo when I first got there, and we were surge deployed for a little bit. In a time when morale should have gone down, the morale actually increased.
"[Sailors] come to the galley and get a hot, fresh, good meal. That's the one thing they're looking forward to while on watch, and it really brings their morale up," he said.
The Ney Awards process starts with 23 unit nominations by type commanders, followed by scheduled day-long evaluations by senior Navy food service management personnel. It includes an in-depth evaluation of galley management, operations, sanitation, and menu adherence, culminating in scoring and determination of 11 winners by a NAVSUP evaluation team.
"Inspectors look at their programs, sample the lunchtime meal, assess how their lines and equipment look, conduct a spot check of record keeping, and survey the crew,” said Cheryl Hernandez, Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards program manager for NAVSUP. “All of that goes into the evaluation."
Established in 1958, the awards are named in honor of Captain Edward F. Ney, a World War II pioneer in military nutrition who served as the head of the Subsistence Division of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. Ney's work in food procurement and rationing significantly improved Sailors' comfort and well-being during the war, a legacy that continues through today's culinary teams' dedication to keeping the world's most powerful Navy fueled and ready to protect America at sea.
"Being a culinary specialist is hard. Arguably one of the hardest jobs on the boat. You're not evaluated once every 12, 18, or 24 months; on a submarine, you're evaluated three times a day and have 150 critics. On a destroyer or carrier, you have 200 to 5,000 critics a day for each meal," said Higgins.
"My time will eventually come to an end, and it's on the new generation to strive for excellence and keep pushing," he said. "There will always be people in the Navy to lead the teams and push them to success, but we need to get the message out that being a culinary specialist is fun. Doing these events, training, and coming to Chicago for expositions and the Ney ceremony is rewarding. These accomplishments can change the trajectory of a Sailor's career and desire to stay in the Navy."
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2026 12:34 |
| Story ID: | 565640 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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