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MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS

BEST FULL FOOD SERVICE

culmination of a long process during which the culinary CONTRACTED MESS HALL
teams prepare and sharpen their proficiency. Marines with I,
II and III Marine Expeditionary Units, Headquarters Group, ***WINNER***
competed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in February as part of Mess Hall 227, MCIEAST-MCB
the process to select this year’s Hill winners. Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“The Marines will be cooking to show off not only their
knowledge, but their skills as well,” said Cpl. Nicholas Ko- Commanding General: Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley
vacs, a food service specialist with II MHG. “It’s a collective * * *
effort between all the Marines at every level to prove we Sodexo Area Operations Manager: Gary Walls
are the best mess in the Marine Corps.” * * *
With prestige on the line, the food service teams compete Sodexo General Manager: Andrew Besemer
to win as much as to defend the honor of
their unit. “This is truly an important event
because not only is it a friendly competi-
tion, but we as food service Marines get
to showcase our abilities and prove what
we can offer the Marine Corps,” said Gun-
nery Sgt. Diordane Pierrelouis. “It is truly a
humbling experience to have come so far,
and we hope that we can bring the award
to II MHG and II MEF as a whole.”

UNIT COMPETITIONS
Individual bases also hold Chef of the
Quarter competitions throughout the year
that contribute to building higher performance standards. eat as healthy as they want. We just have all the options
These base-level preliminary competitions get the butterflies available.”
out and get team members to relax and work together, or Taking first place in the competition were Sgt. Chewanea
motivate others to jump in. Roberts and Cpl. Kimaney Hilton, food service specialists,
An incentive of the Marine Corps Installations–West Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps
Culinary Team of the Quarter competition held at Camp Air Station Miramar, Calif.
Pendleton, Calif., in December 2017 was the first-place The teams were given a mystery basket of ingredients
winner received a plaque and the chance to train at the that the competitors had to use in an appetizer, entrée
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and dessert. Among the ingredients were spinach, lobster
“I’m so proud about how everyone is putting their all and pork loin.
into our job,” said Donovan Brown, the regional executive For the appetizers the winners made spinach sautéed
chef of Sodexo West. with lemon juice, garlic cloves and a dash of salt, as well
Judges score the teams based on proper cooking and as lobster-stuffed mushrooms.
safety regulations, sanitation practices, proper food han- Their entrées were lemon butter lobster tail and pineapple
dling, proper yields and making food look attractive. First-, ginger pork loin. Finally, for dessert they made pineapple
second- and third-place winners were also awarded medals. with a glazed topping.
“We have an amazing food service now,” said Brown. “We both did so much from day one to now,” said Hilton.
“We have more choices than ever before. A Marine can “You can see that we have improved a lot. We laughed, we
relaxed, we enjoyed it. I would say for a lot of people who
BEST ACTIVE FIELD MESS

***WINNER***
II MEF Headquarters Group,
MARFORCOM, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Commanding Officer: Col. David S. Owen
* * *
Food Service Officer: Capt. Brandon Mokris
* * *
Mess Hall Manager: Gunnery Sgt.
Diordane Pierrelouis

36 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2017