FORT RILEY, Kan. – Twelve Army Culinary Specialists assigned to the 511th Quartermaster Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, competed in the 54th Annual Philip A. Connelly Awards Program Competition on March 22nd, 2022, at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The multi-level competition ranges across all Army components and is executed by teams who display culinary excellence resulting in the presentation of extremely gratifying dining experiences across all Army food service platforms in garrison and field environments. Soldiers from the 511th QMC participated in the Active Army Field Kitchen category of the competition, first competing at the division level, and then at increasing echelons as they were selected to progress further due to their outstanding performance.
Advancing from the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) level, 511 QMC and five other field-feeding teams across the Army were selected to move on and be evaluated by the Department of the Army’s food-service inspection team.
U.S. Army Pfc. Avery Barnes (left), a culinary specialist assigned to 511th Quartermaster Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, takes the temperature of the breakfast being served at the 54th Annual Philip A. Connelly Awards Program Culinary Competition on March 22nd, 2022, at Fort Riley, Kansas. CW5 Anita Williams, the U.S. Army Pacific Food Advisor serving as a member of the Department of the Army Food Services inspection team (right) checks to make sure it is within the Army health and food standards during the DA evaluation. VIEW ORIGINAL
Throughout the inspection, 511 QMC was graded on their meal’s palate, how the meal that was prepared tasted; their administrative paperwork, like records for budgeting and production schedules; how their different tents were oriented, area beautification, and the security of the site in addition to many other considerations.
The road to this moment has been a grueling one. A year of training and performing under extreme scrutiny in various conditions, not least of which the temperamental Kansas weather. Despite the early mornings, late nights, and Army mandatory training requirements, the team remains resolute and focused on showing the Army what they can do.
“This is our Super Bowl,” said Harris, “This highlights what our jobs culminate to at a tactical level for the Army. This is so important to us because it allows us to apply all the training we went through and all the experience we’ve gained at the most professional level possible. It is an honor to be their 1st Sgt.”
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