Shipboard Meals Are Getting Better

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"And what do you think they got for dinner? “Twas water soup, but slightly thinner.”

The lines above are from an 1812 sea chantey, on the lives of Sailors. Those days are long gone, especially when it comes to a Sailor’s diet. And, under a program being initiated by the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), shipboard meals will be getting even better.

In November 1995, NAVSUP established a no-cost culinary internship for Mess Management Specialists (MSs) with interested hotel chains, starting with ITT Sheraton. Culinary internship opportunities are planned for corporate-owned hotels in areas where there is a naval concentration.

The first culinary internship class to be held under the umbrella of the partnership will begin on February 26, 1996, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, CA. The first two-week class, expected to include approximately six MSs from San Diego area ships, will graduate in a special ceremony to be held the evening of March 9.

The culinary internship program is open to top performing MSs Navy-wide, who will work and train alongside hotel chefs. MSs at the Seaman (E3), Petty Officer Third Class (E4), and Petty Officer Second Class (E5) levels are nominated by their commands to participate in the program.

The purpose of the program is to expose the participants to a wide variety of culinary skills and give them as much hands on cooking experience as possible. The internships will provide practical supplemental culinary education, giving the MSs tools that enhance their professional abilities to meet the growing needs of the Navy’s food service business. The internship program is also a means for participants to attain professional recognition through a working relationship with industry.

From a news release on the Naval Supply Systems Command Home Page, dated March 6, 1996.

For more information contact: Liz Van Wye
NAVSUP Public Affairs Officer
717/790-1543
Elizabeth Van Wye

-USN-

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