Two ARNG units named 'best of best' in food service

Story courtesy of Fort Lee Public Affairs

(1/7/10) -- The Department of the Army G-4 and the chairman of the board, International Food Service Executives Association, have announced the winners of the 2010 Philip A. Connelly Awards Program for Excellence in Army Food Service:

• Small Garrison Winner: Headquarters, HHC USASOC, Fort Bragg, N.C.
• Small Garrison Runner-up: 501st Military Intelligence, Korea
• Large Garrison Winner: 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
• Large Garrison Runner-up: 45th Sustainment Brigade, Hawaii
• Active Army Field Kitchen Winner: 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.
• Active Army Field Kitchen Runner-up: 69th Air Defense Artillery, Fort Hood, Texas
• U.S. Army Reserve Winner: 397th Engineer Battalion, Fort McCoy, Wis.
• U.S. Army National Guard Winner: 1201st FSC, Morgantown, W.Va.
• U.S. Army National Guard Runner-up: 840th Maintenance Co., San Juan, Puerto Rico

From providing nutritional meals to creating morale-boosting environments, food- service professionals keep the Army rolling along, Connelly officials said. They said the Connelly Awards program honors those professionals - Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilians - who rise above the standard and continually demonstrate excellence in food service.

The program is managed by the Quartermaster Center and School's Joint Culinary Center of Excellence and co-sponsored by the International Food Service Executives Association and the Department of the Army.

It is named in honor of the late Philip A. Connelly, past president of IFSEA, highly regarded as the driving force behind obtaining IFSEA sponsorship of the Department of the Army's recognition of excellence in Army food service.

The JCCoE and IFSEA evaluators traveled the globe over the last few months to obtain first-hand knowledge of how Army food-service personnel perform their jobs.

Evaluators judged finalists in five dining facility categories - Small Garrison, Large Garrison, and Field Kitchens in the Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army National Guard. The food-service staff and their facilities were evaluated in a number of areas including preparation, food taste, nutrition, service and sanitation.