19th ESC competes for Army's Top Dining Facility title

CAMP WALKER, SOUTH KOREA-- The 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command's Mountain Inn dining facility competed for the Army's Top Dining Facility title during the 46th annual Philip A. Connelly competition April 11, here, at Camp Walker.

The Philip A. Connelly Program is regulated by Army Regulation 30-22, The Army Food Service Program. The objectives of the program are to promote and improve Army food service through awareness with incentives, competition, and media attention to encourage and recognize deserving units for superb performance, award individuals for stellar management practices and honor the traditions of the Philip A. Connelly Awards Program.

19th ESC's Mountain Inn dining facility bested 20 other facilities throughout Korea in 2013, winning the Connelly Competition, to earn a shot as one of the top six DFACs out of 189 facilities Army-wide.

Food service evaluators with the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, at Fort Lee, Va., graded in ten categories, including food preparation and quality, supervision, attitude and appearance of personnel, administration, food safety and protection, and command support.

Master Sgt. Sandra J. Harrison, chief food service management noncommissioned officer, 19th ESC, stressed that the food service specialists work as a team just like they do every day and focus on the most important reason they do their job the best; the Soldiers.

"Our Soldiers know what their mission is daily and even though this is an evaluation, we know Soldiers should get good meals everyday and the line we present is a representation of that, said Harrison. "Our cooks not only take pride in their job, but in themselves.

JCCoE evaluators made their way around the kitchen talking with Soldier during preparation, ensuring cleanliness and the proper handling of food before Chief Warrant Officer 5 Princido Texidor, the Army's top food service adviser noticed something unique about the team.

"It is very rare that we step into a facility where 80 percent of the staff is young Soldiers straight out of AIT (Advance Individual Training), and they've done an excellent job being in the army such a short period of time," said Texidor.

Texidor went on to say that he was very impressed and very proud of what these Soldiers have accomplished, "they are already winners for being one of the six top DFACs in the Army."

The Mountain Inn DFAC is in competition with facilities in Georgia, Washington, Germany, Hawaii, and Texas. The winner of the 2014 Philip A. Connelly Competition will be announced in May.