Photo By Michael Meyer | Spc. Dillon Brayfield and Spc. Garrison Heck, soldiers of the 1011 Quartermaster...... read more read more
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FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Food service personnel from the U.S. Army Reserve’s 1011th Quartermaster Company based out of Independence, Kansas competed as finalists in the Philip A. Connelly Awards Program for Excellence in Army Food Service. The first evaluation of the final competition took place at Fort Riley, Kansas in October.
“Last July, we competed in the U.S. Army Reserve Command level, and competed against 13 other units, and won at that level. Now we are competing against four other units at the Department of the Army level,” said 1st Lt Gene Espinoza, company commander of the 1011th QM Company.
The objectives of the “field kitchen” competition are to provide the best quality end-product to service members in an outdoor field kitchen environment. Evaluators visit each finalist to conduct the evaluations where the units are located. Food service staffs are judged in a number of areas including preparation, food taste, nutrition, service and sanitation. Evaluations take place October through December.
“We have chosen the “best of the best” at this level. We are looking at all the details,” said CW4 Jose Molano of the Army Reserve Medical Command, an evaluator of the Connelly Competition. “We are also checking the temperatures that food is cooked, and the temperatures of the water that pots and pans are cleaned in. We are also asking questions of the cooks and crew to test their knowledge, and of course we are evaluating the taste of food, and it’s acceptance by other soldiers.”
The 1011th QM Company cooked a lasagna dinner with garlic bread, a side of broccoli, vegetable soup, and chocolate cake for dessert.
“It’s delicious. I think it’s the best field mess I’ve ever had,” said a soldier of the 329th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion who returned from the rifle range for lunch. His comment was met with approval from his fellow soldiers.
“These soldiers really take pride in cooking for their fellow soldiers. That pride and morale really shines through in their food. A lot of our cooks do this on the civilian side and they really enjoy doing it.” said Espinoza.
“At one point in time I was a sous chef for a restaurant in Phillips Okla., and I have cooked in several other competitions,” said Spc. Andrew Russell, a cook for the 1011th QM Company. “Cooking is a passion. I enjoy the rush of trying to get everything together at the last minute, multi-tasking when I have lots of things on the burner. It takes a lot of training, and it’s all about technique and timing.”
“These soldiers did pretty well. They displayed professionalism in every aspect of their work. We will have to evaluate the other three units over the next few months before a winner is announced, “said Paul Deignan, an evaluator from the International Food Service Executives Association.
IFSEA has been a co-sponsor of the Connelly Awards since 1967 and is a professional organization dedicated to raising food service industry standards, educating members and future industry leaders, recognizing member achievements and serving the growing needs of the diverse, dynamic multi-billion dollar a year market for food away from home.
“We feel that the military gives many valuable lessons to the soldier. In essence, a soldier is pre-trained and ready to go for our industry. We want to keep that tie, and keep the soldiers pursuing the hospitality industry throughout their military career,” said Deignan.
The winners of the Connelly Competition will also receive an IFSEA certification that validates their military experience, and one week of training at a culinary college. The winner of the competition will be announced in February 2011.
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2010 11:40 |
| Story ID: | 58846 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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