Fleet replenishment oilers USNS Laramie and USNS Yukon, and rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp are the winners of Military Sealift Command’s 2008 Capt. David M. Cook Food Service Excellence Awards. MSC Commander Rear Adm. Robert D. Reilly Jr. announced the winners in a message Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Laramie won the award in the large ship East Coast category while Yukon took the honor for large ship West Coast. Grasp won the award in the small ship overall category. Winners will receive their awards April 5 at the prestigious International Food Service Executives Association Joint Military Food
Service Awards banquet in Denver, Colo.
Ten ships vied for the coveted award and competition was intense, according to Roberta Jio, chief of MSC's food service policy and procedures. All of MSC’s more than 40 government-owned, government-operated ships were eligible to compete.
"All of the food service competitors are good, and that compounded the difficulty of selecting the best," said Jio.
The exceptional efforts of MSC’s food service personnel are essential in keeping morale, health, and quality of life at peak levels for the more than 5,000 civil service mariners working around the world to ensure MSC’s mission success.
"It's a distinct honor to receive this award for the second consecutive time,” said Cesar Guerrero, Yukon’s supply officer. “My folks in the supply department’s food service worked extremely hard, and their dedication to excellence has been exemplified in winning this coveted award."
"Winning this award is truly a testament to those dedicated professionals who day in and day out prepare our meals,” said Capt. Steven Perdue, Yukon’s civil service master. “Their job is a thankless one that goes largely unnoticed, so it is especially rewarding to those folks onboard who work in the galley to be recognized.”
The award is named for the late Capt. David L. Cook, USN, 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.