Photo By Giancarlo Casem | Spc. Nayeli Carter, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Regimental Support Squadron,...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT IRWIN, Calif.—Practice makes perfect, those words hold true for last year’s best field kitchen in the Army. They are hard at work again this year, hoping to defend their title.
Food service Soldiers from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment conducted a practice run of the Phillip A. Connelly Award competition judging, Oct. 1. The Phillip A. Connelly Awards program is a yearly competition that pits kitchen teams against each other. This program is designed to recognize excellence in Army Food Service and its improvement through visibility in the civilian sector and the command.
The Blackhorse team is gearing up for the Department of the Army level of the competition after winning in the Active Army Field Kitchen category at the U.S. Army Forces Command level.
“I’ve won at the FORSCOM level, but I’ve never won at the DA level,” said Staff Sgt. Fenecia Keitt, a senior food operations sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, 11th ACR. “This would be a big accomplishment for all of us; not just for m. It is for the Soldiers and for the unit.”
After the practice, Keitt said she felt confident about the team’s performance.
“It went very well,” said the Valdosta, Ga., native. “I feel if today was the actual competition, we would win.”
Connelly competition judges will descend upon the field kitchen Nov. 3. The team will not only be graded on the quality of the food, but on preparation, ration control and site set up. The judges will be looking at the kitchen’s cleanliness and how well the staff prepares food. Their records are also looked at to make sure food is not wasted and is properly accounted for.
“The DA judges will be looking at the overall site, the preparation of the meal, and all of the aspects that goes along with the Phillip A. Connelly,” said Master Sgt. John Davis, the Regimental Senior Food Service non-commissioned officer-in-charge.
Competitions such as the Phillip A. Connelly are important because it gives Soldiers a sense of expertise and to go above and beyond the call of duty, Davis said.
“It lets them excel in their [military occupational specialty],” Davis said. “The reason why it is important for cooks and Soldiers to partake in things of this nature is that it gives them a sense of expertise to go above and beyond the call of duty.”
Keitt added that the competition is great for junior Soldiers since it gives them a sense of pride in their work and shows the importance of teamwork.
“It’s very important to give them at outlook on what we do as food service personnel,” Keitt said. “I feel like we’re under the radar and we’re not appreciated as much as I’d like us to be appreciated. This is our time to shine.”
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.06.2010 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 57631 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, Blackhorse cooks prepare to grill competition, by Giancarlo Casem, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
