Division goes spatula to spatula with MLG in cooking competition

[thedrifter]

The scent of pork chops smothered in brown gravy, potatoes au gratin, warm apple crisp and other home-style favorites fill the air. The dining area is dimly lit with candles on every table.

However, this is not a romantic restaurant. It is a field chow hall and the grounds of a heated competition.

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, competed in a field mess competition here, July 31, against 2nd Marine Logistics Group, who were judged earlier. This was the first leg of the annual Maj. Gen. W. P. T. Hill Memorial Award for Food Service competition.

The wait for the results was agonizing but well worth it. The division was notified they had won the competition, Aug. 3.

The road to winning was long and arduous but worth the time and effort put into the competition.

Gunnery Sgt. Jeffery Chenault, the field mess staff noncommissioned officer in charge with 2nd Bn., 9th Marines, said the division team headed to the field, July 16, to set up the mess hall. The entire area had to be prepared by a handful of food service Marines. The Marines had to clear the area, set up the tents and equipment and fill every sandbag that lined the site. It took nearly two weeks to fully set up the site, but it was operational in three days.

After the area was prepared, the Marines continued to work hard to impress the judges from the second they arrived at the site of the competition.

“Everything is graded from the time I step foot in the warehouse,” Chenault said.

Chenault also said the judging encompassed every area of food preparation. Administrative aspects, location and security are all weighed heavily. The Marines were also judged on the sanitation, maintenance, operation and knowledge of their equipment.

The win meant much more to the Marines than simply an award or title.

“Winning is rewarding for the troops who put in long hours,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Carol Ottley, a 2nd Marine Division food service technician. “They kept a positive attitude and it paid off.”

Ottley also said the competition recognized the importance of food service. Normally people forget about food service until they are hungry.

The division is now preparing for the Marine Corps-wide level of the competition, which is tentatively scheduled for October.

“The winners on a national level receive a trophy and a big ceremony put on by the National Restaurant Association,” Ottley said.

Although winning may seem like the most important aspect of this competition, it had a much deeper purpose.

“Our Marines are training and learning on new equipment and setting up things in a new environment,” Chenault said. “The most important thing we take away from this competition is what we are teaching our Marines. After all, if it’s not training, it’s not worth doing.”