Best in Army food service honored

By Combined Arms Support Command Public AffairsMay 15, 2013

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Fort Lee, Va. (May 15, 2013) - The winning units for the 2013 Philip A. Connelly Award for Excellence in Army food service have been selected for the active Army, National Guard and Reserve components.

The U.S. Army Quartermaster School, which is part of the Combined Arms Support Command, headquartered at Fort Lee, Va., manages the program through the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence. The International Food Service Executives Association and Department of the Army G-4 are co-sponsors of this awards program.

The Connelly awards program has had a major impact on the degree of professionalism now associated with Army food service. From providing nutritional meals to creating morale boosting environments, food service professionals keep the Army rolling along. This program honors those professionals, Soldiers and DA civilians, who rise above the standard and continually demonstrate excellence in food service.

2013 winning units are:

* Military garrison winner: 3rd Infantry Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Stewart, Ga.

* Military garrison runner-up: 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.

* Civilian garrison winner: Casey Main Dining Facility, Camp Red Cloud, Korea.

* Civilian garrison runner-up: Freedom Inn Dining Facility, Fort Meade, Md.

* Active Army field kitchen winner: Strike Inn, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

* Active Army field kitchen runner-up: Christopher Kurth Dining Facility, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Army Reserve field kitchen winner: 295th Ordnance Company, Hastings, Neb.

* Army Reserve field kitchen runner-up: 137th Quartermaster Company, South, El Monte, Calif.

* Army National Guard field kitchen winner: 1032nd Transportation Company, Gate City, Va.

* Army National Guard field kitchen runner-up: 212th Support Maintenance Company, Medina, Ohio.

During the evaluation portion, IFSEA and JCCoE personnel teamed up to form committees to judge each category. They traveled the globe to obtain first-hand knowledge of how food service specialists perform in dining facility and field kitchen operations. The evaluation focused on many areas including sanitation, nutrition, record keeping and food preparation procedures. Each committee is comprised of one IFSEA civilian and two military representatives.

The Connelly program was established in March 1968 and is named for the late Philip A. Connelly, former IFSEA president, who was responsible for obtaining that organization's sponsorship with the Army.

Its objectives include: improving the professionalism of food service personnel in order to provide the best quality product and service to military members; and providing recognition for excellence in the preparation and serving of food in Army dining facilities and during field kitchen operations.

The food service staffs of these units deserve special recognition for their contributions toward improving the Army's food service program and for their efforts in enhancing the quality of food service provided to warfighters.

Individual award ceremonies will be conducted at the unit's home stations to highlight the achievements of the winning teams.

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