Members of the SIU Government Services Division recently were recognized by the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) for outstanding work in the steward department.The fleet replenishment oilers USNS Laramie and USNS Yukon received MSC’s Capt. David L. Cook Awards "for exceptional food service," according to the agency. The awards were presented March 31 during festivities in Kansas City. CIVMARS and hundreds of military guests attended.
The Laramie was selected from MSC’s "large ship East Coast" category while the Yukon was chosen from the "large ship West Coast" field.
In announcing the recognition, MSC noted, "The food service award is an important one. The health and morale of MSC’s approximately 5,000 civil service mariners hinges in large part on the quality of the meals prepared for them by their ship’s food service team."
Accepting the awards this year on behalf of their ships were Tyrone Trotman, supply officer aboard the Laramie, and Victorino Damasco, chief steward aboard the Yukon.
Damasco, a Seafarer who has sailed with MSC since 1994, had 28 years of prior food service experience in the U.S. Navy.
"During all my years in the Navy, none of my ships ever won the Navy’s food service excellence award," said Damasco. "My first objective when I joined MSC was to win its award — and now we have!"
The award is named for the late Navy Capt. David L. Cook, former MSC director of logistics from 1995 to 1998, who was a catalyst in improving all aspects of the food service operations aboard MSC ships.
According to Roberta Jio, chief of MSC’s food service policy and procedures, competition for the award was intense. "The problem in selecting the best was compounded by the fact that all of our food service teams are good," said Jio. "But to be the best means that the winning teams really had to exhibit stellar performance in their food service programs."
To win the annual award, MSC civil service mariner-crewed ships submitted a nomination package describing its food service programs to a Military Sealift Fleet Support Command committee. Once the nominations were reviewed, MSFSC sent five nominations to a team of judges. This year’s judges — Jio, International Food Service Executive Association Executive Chef Nydia Eckstrom and Navy Medical Officer Lt. Mary Graves — then visited the finalists to determine the winner. The judges spent a full day on each of the ships, looking at food preparation, administration, management, safety, facilities, equipment and utensils, training, sanitation and shipboard waste management.
In addition to the public recognition received during the awards ceremony, winning food service teams will receive cash bonuses and will have the opportunity to participate in advanced culinary training.
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