Well it has been a while since I have wrote any updates.

In July I was aboard the USS CONSTELLATION(CV64) for a 17 day underway with the air wing on board. I thought I had experienced everything the Navy had to offer as far as cooking was concerned.  I was up at 0400 every morning not by choice.  The ship never stopped. My berthing space was under the jet machine shop.  We also had stowage in our space that was always good for a late night visit.

I had to walk 150 ft. from the rack to use the head; another first for me.  The real adventure began When I reported to S-2 to start cooking.  I have never been a part of cooking 17,000 a day underway.  There are 7 galleys on an aircraft carrier and a bake shop that bakes a staggering amount of bread and cakes etc.everyday.  20 hrs. of food service every day.  The reefer decks are huge and the freezer (let's play hockey) are massive.  I had a really great time, the MS's were upbeat and we had a a great time.  I got the VIP treatment.  On the flight deck during flight OPS during both take and recovery.  I came away with a great more respect for what these MS's do day in and day out.  Not only cooking but paper work and deep cleaning.  Very long Hrs in very hard conditions.

The first of Jan found me in Pearl Harbor for 23 days of training with Submariners.  I got to work on two boats and help teach the private mess course at Kapoloni College.  Talk about extreme cooking conditions.  On the sub you basically cook and bake in a space a bit bigger that your bathroom.  One person does the whole meal including baking for the meal.  As well as clean the pans that they use.

Pearl Harbor Sub base is a living museum.  I stood in the same spot that that Admiral Husband Kimel Used when was CO in Charge of COMSUBPAC when the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor.  Cooking in the Navy underway is a challenge any time, but I feel that the Submariners have it a lot harder. They are Masters at stowing food.  On the one boat I was on, they were going to be stowing 3 more pallets of food.  I thought that would be really impossible as there seemed to be no more room.  They did.  I would encourage any chef that reads this to adopt a ship.  Go Navy,   Trevor Hamilton c.c.c

Good Navy Day to all.  I would like to take this time to give a BZ to the Naval supply Corp. (NAVSUP) for allowing and supporting this great Program. There have been a number of Chefs from Canada that have been involved.  Dave Jones c.c.c. on the USS JOHN YOUNG DD(973) and also on the TARAWA (LHA1) transit from (Hong Kong); To Pearl Harbor Sam Glass (CEC) on the USS JOHN C STENNIS(CVN74); Monty Pryor on the USS JOHN C STENNIS (CVN(74;) Chris Cavalier on the USS PEARL HARBOR(LSD-52 ); Mike Robertson on the USS BONHOMME RICHARD(LHD-6); This does not include American chefs that have participated. This is a great time of meeting and working sharing food knowledge with our Navy Colleagues. Want a challenge?  Get underway for a week and see how you stack up working in a Navy galley. The Royal Australian Navy has a similar program as well. So come and see if you are up to the challenge of working in Navy Galley underway with all there restrictions. Also stick around and enjoy a Navy field day (after a 12 hr. shift cooking).

How do you get involved? Email me I will get you in touch with the Navy Food Management team (NFMT) in the area you would like to go.

Canadian Chef Adopts Navy Ship

Photos: PH3(AW/SW) Chris M. Staten Chef Travis Hamilton of Canada recently spent a week aboard Norfolk-based USS BATAAN (LHD-5). For the past year, the Hamilton, Ontario native shared his knowledge and swapped ideas with Mess Management Specialists (MS) aboard seven U.S. Navy ships through the U.S. Navy's Adopt a Ship program. "The people I work with are very receptive," Hamilton said of his experiences in the fleet.

"Every command is 100 percent different. A couple guys challenged me in the most positive way. But I didn't come here to teach, I came here to work with them and show them different ways. I come off each ship learning some stuff myself. People get this impression that since you come from the civilian world you're something special. We're not. We're regular guys." From his experiences with Navy MSs around the world, Hamilton compares the performance of personnel as equal or better than that of graduates of the even most prestigious culinary schools on the continent.  He said, often MSs excel on issues their civilian counterparts tend to neglect or ignore. But even beyond a specific culinary talent, he said he's most impressed with the unique cleanliness of Navy galleys, and the ability of MSs to manage large kitchens in often adverse conditions.

"The training MSs get in the Navy is top-notch," said Hamilton. "The sanitation is incredible. My galley back home is impeccable now after what I've learned aboard the ships. They get very well rounded training. Depending on the field they want to go into, they could do anything they want. Basically, you're running a hotel at sea. For the ones who get out, they could go into a hotel and work in any part of the house they want. But here I look for attitude. I want to see 'do you love the crew'? Here, these are your friends you're cooking for. The camaraderie you build in the military is unparalleled in the civilian world. That's probably the most cherished thing I come away with." "I found you had a very good morale in the galley aboard USS BATAAN and I'd really like to get underway with the ship," said Hamilton of his specific experience aboard Norfolk's newest amphibious assault ship, which returned from its first  deployment in March.

"The crew was very polite and I found some of the younger Sailors have more desire than I've found in the civilian kitchens. These are the type of guys I'd like to hire." Among things Hamilton found most impressive of MSs, is their ability to provide quality service and care for the crew, while maintaining the myriad of military responsibilities as sailors. "One of the biggest stereotypes in the military I hate is that of the cooks. Our level of cleanliness and garnishing skills really surpasses what you see in most civilian jobs and that makes me proud," said Petty Officer First Class Mess Management Specialist Steven H. Kiehl of Philadelphia and a USS BATAAN 'plankowner'.

Kiehl knows about quality food preparation. He served as the chef to the President at Camp David, Md., from 1993 to 1997. "So with the Adopt a Ship program we get achance to show off a little and change the stereotype."  Hamilton said he believes the U.S. Navy Food Management Team's Adopt a Ship program is one of the most mutually beneficial measures taken to enhance ties between food preparation professionals in any combination of fields or specialties. It provides diverse training, unique experiences and insight.