Thanksgiving is very rarely complete without dessert.
The 564th Quartermaster Company's Staff Sgt. Lourdes Malone and Sgt. Yoccimy Vega, both culinary specialists, led the effort, starting Sunday night to prepare multiple dessert dishes to finish off the Thanksgiving meal at the Courage Inn Warrior Restaurant here at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Nov. 24.
Having known each other for nearly three years, the duo combined their efforts for the first time Sunday night at #JBLM to begin working on the desserts, culminating in a cake designed after a blackjack table, along with cookies, cupcakes, and two more cakes, shaped as playing cards, to complement the Las Vegas-themed Thanksgiving meal.
From Harlem, New York, Malone is a graduate of @monroecollege, earning an associate's degree in culinary arts and hospitality. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2015.
Arriving here roughly two months ago, this was her first week working at the warrior restaurant.
"It's a lot of pressure," she said, describing preparing the meal. "Especially when it comes to the decorating part because it is time for the (culinary specialists) to shine. If we're not shining, we're not doing it right. It's one of those few times, when people look at us, and think 'wow, the cooks are more than just cooks.' We decorate, we bake, and we cook."
"It's a pleasure to serve the people on Thanksgiving, Malone concluded. "Everybody is happy. That is what pushes us. Everyone comes in here and they are very thankful."
Vega noted it was easier to work together on the desserts in preparation for one of the restaurant's busiest events of the year.
"Things like (the Thanksgiving meal), I like it because I learn something new when I do this," Vega said.
A native of Las Vegas, Vega joined the #USArmy in July 2017. She joined because "it was a chance to learn something new," she said. "My family has never been a part of the military. It has been rough, but it has been good."
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