MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS Enhancing Food Service Teams Vie for Army Connelly Award Bragging Rights

ach foodservice team competing for the annual Philip A. Connelly Award for Excellence in Army Food Ser- Evice is driven by its unique motivation to win, but all recognize that the key to success is the dedication of the soldiers and civilians working together. The Joint Culinary Center of Excellence (JCCoE) in 2014 presented awards to the best Army facility in each of there categories: large garrison, small garrison and field kitchen. While competitors are driven mainly by the challenge of winning and the prestige that comes with being recognized as the best in a category, that is not the only satisfaction. “Teamwork put us over the top; It couldn’t be done by just me or by any one soldier, it was a complete team effort,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Hardin, manager of the Courage

Sgt. 1st Class James Hardin, the manager of The Courage Inn, a dining facility on JBLM, displays the 2014 Philip A. Connelly award for Excellence in Army Food Service in the large gar- rison category after an awards ceremony last September. The Courage Inn won again in 2015. (PHOTO COURTESY: STAFF SGT. ADAM KEITH, 19TH PUBLIC AFFAIRS DETACHMENT, 82ND SUSTAINMENT BRIGADE)

MILITARY GARRISON **WINNER** 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade py to bring this award here,” Hardin said. Inn at JB Lewis-McChord Courage Inn Dining Facility Claiming the Large Garrison trophy (JBLM), Wash., after taking Fort Lewis, Wash. capped a year of training, but was time well first place in the Large Gar- spent as Hardin considers the recognition rison category of last year’s Connelly awards. “All of a significant accomplishment for the dining facility. the soldiers came together and did a great job; they “The preparation [for the competition] is about performed at the highest level.” getting back to the basics of food service, preparing The teams also compete to defeat rivals in a friendly things to standard, the right way, every time,” he competition for bragging rights among the installations. “A lot of times you hear about other [bases] like and Fort Stewart, but you never really hear about JBLM when it comes to food service, so we were hap-

*RUNNER-UP* 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2015 THE 2015 PHILIP A. CONNELLY WINNERS

MILITARY GARRISON

WINNER 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Courage Inn Dining Facility Fort Lewis, Wash.

RUNNER-UP 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

ACTIVE ARMY FIELD KITCHEN

WINNER 18th Combat Sustainment Support ACTIVE ARMY FIELD KITCHEN **WINNER** Battalion 18th Combat Sustainment Grafenwoehr, Germany said. “It feels great to see how we all Support Battalion came together.” Grafenwoehr, Germany RUNNER-UP That commitment to detail over 659th Support Maintenance Company the year spent preparing for the Con- 264th Combat Sustainment Support nelly was reinforced through the rigorous evaluation process under the Battalion scrutiny of judges from JCCoE and the International Food Service Ex- 82nd Sustainment Brigade, ecutives Association (IFSEA). XVII Airborne Corps “The judges told us that we [showed] some of the best teamwork Fort Bragg, N.C. that they had seen in the Army,” said Spc. Bianca Garcia, a cook at the dining facility, adding that preparing for the competition was a good learning experience. JB Lewis-McChord’s yearlong reign as Military Garrison Winner has RESERVE FIELD KITCHEN been extended, as the Courage Inn led this year’s list of winners, as well. But even though they topped the category again in 2015, Hardin WINNER expects the soldiers will continue their award-winning performance for 63rd Brigade Support Battalion the judging that happens daily in the dining facility. Sloan, Nev. “There’s nothing that should be done special for the competition; it’s just basic soldier and food RUNNER-UP preparation skills, and that’s 254th Quartermaster Company *RUNNER-UP* what we apply on a day-to- York, Pa. 659th Support Maintenance Company day basis,” said Hardin. “We 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion just make sure that all of those 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVII Airborne Corps techniques are perfected. We UNITED STATES ARMY NATIONAL Fort Bragg, N.C. always strive to GUARD FIELD KITCHEN be the best.” WINNER Teams under- Headquarters and Headquarters go evaluations Company throughout the 132nd Brigade Support Battalion yearlong Con- Portage, Wis. nelly evalua- tion and must RUNNER-UP win early-round Headquarters and Headquarters competitions in Company order to compete 1-112, Aviation Battalion (S&S) for the award. Bismarck, N.D. Last year, the

GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2015 MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS

UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE FIELD KITCHEN **WINNER** Each year, the 63rd Brigade Support Battalion ’s 1st Brigade Combat Team’s award recognizes Sloan, Nev. food service specialists won at the installation level foodservice staff work- before the field-feeding site was inspected at Fort ing in Army dining Bragg, N.C., for the Department of the Army round. facilities and during field kitchen operations by se- Paratroopers from the Devil brigade won the lecting winners for their contribution to enhancing installation-level Philip A. Connelly award at Fort the quality of food service provided to warfighters. Bragg, N.C., in March of 2013, and topped that suc- Selection of winners is accomplished in stages cess by winning the U.S. Army Forces Command-level beginning at the lowest echelon with Installation event in the summer. Management Command The Department-of-the- (IMCOM) regions and Army Army-level competition Commands (ACOMs) sub- pitted the paratroopers mitting finalist nominees in against units stationed the appropriate categories at Fort Hood, Texas, and to JCCoE, U.S. Army Quar- in South Korea. termaster School (USAQMS) “To know … how far for evaluation. we’ve come and how Next, the Department of well we’re perform- the Army selects the first- ing speaks volumes of and second-place Connelly the level of discipline, winners in each category knowledge and work from the IMCOM and ethic that these para- ACOM finalists. IMCOM troopers have,” said and ACOM complete evalu- Sgt. Silvestre Arroyo, *RUNNER-UP* ations for finalists from June through August while the noncommissioned 254th Quartermaster Company the Department of the Army selects overall winners officer in charge of York, Pa. from October through December. containerized kitchen The Connelly program is headquartered at Fort operations. “[It’s taken] a lot of long hours and a Lee, Va., and is managed through the JCCoE by the lot of discipline.” Quartermaster School. Co-sponsors of the awards program are the Department of the Army G-4, IFSEA TRADITION and, beginning this year, the National Restaurant Established 47 years ago, the Connelly awards Association (NRA). contribute to raising the standard of culinary perfor- JCCoE, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence mance, professionalism and commitment to quality, Special Programs Directorate (SPD) administers the and better food is considered a key to improving the program. NRA and IFSEA participate in the evaluation health, morale and readiness of service members. of finalists, the presentation of awards and other forms

GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2015 MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS

UNITED STATES FIELD KITCHEN **WINNER** Headquarters and Headquarters Company of recognition that support the program’s objectives. 132nd Brigade Support Battalion Winners are selected through a rigorous evalua- Portage, Wis. tion process in which judges are assigned to com- mittees that are responsible to review specific categories. These Other military food- committees travel the globe to wit- service teams being rec- ness in person how the competing ognized during the joint foodservice specialists perform in awards banquet are win- dining facilities and field kitchen ners of the 2015 Air Force operations. John L. Hennessy and Air Many aspects of dining-facility National Guard Senior and field-kitchen foodservice op- Master Sgt. Kenneth W. erations are evaluated, including Disney awards; Marine sanitation, nutrition and record- Corps William Pendleton keeping and food-preparation Thompson Hill Memorial; procedures. Navy Capt. Edward F. Ney, The award program is an an- *RUNNER-UP* SC, USN, Memorial; and nual tradition that began in March Headquarters and Headquarters Company Military Sealift Command Capt. Da- 1968 and is named for the late 1-112, Aviation Battalion (S&S) vid M. Cook, SC, USN, awards. Philip A. Connelly, a former IFSEA Bismarck, N.D. —GFS president, who was responsible for obtaining that organization’s sponsorship with the Army. This year, winners are being recognized during a joint military culinary awards banquet on Friday evening, May 15, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers as part of the National Restaurant Associa- tion Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, Ill.

Pfc. Jackson A. Lochead, a food service specialist with Company F, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepares a tray of food for Command Sgt. Maj. Scott A. Brzak, command sergeant major of 1st BCT, in preparation for the Philip A. Connelly competition inspection at Fort Bragg, N.C. (PHOTO COURTESY: STAFF SGT. MARY S. KATZENBERGER, USA)

GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2015