USS Makin Island Wins Food Service Excellent Award

Rest assured the crew of the San Diego-based USS Makin Island is eating well today.

The supply department on the amphibious assault ship, which is on its first deployment, was awarded the 2012 Capt. Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for Food Service Excellence, announced recently by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

The Ney awards program, co-sponsored by the secretary of the Navy and the International Food Service Executives Association, encourages excellence in food service to improve the quality of life for shipboard sailors and Marines.

This past fall, an evaluation team made up of Navy food officials and IFSEA representatives made a surprise inspection of the ship's food service facilities.

"Tremendous teamwork, engaged leadership, commitment to excellence and execution with precision goes into winning the Ney Award," said Cmdr. Carla Meyers, Makin Island's supply officer. "The Makin Island food service team is absolutely phenomenal and enjoys showcasing their talents to the crew every day."

Junior personnel among the mess staff attended a culinary specialist school before the vessel was commissioned.

The Makin Island is a 847-foot hybrid-driven ship, featuring electric and gas-turbine propulsion. It's crew numbers around 1,450.

The USS Makin Island, the amphibious dock landing ship the USS Pearl Harbor and the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans departed San Diego Nov. 14 for the western Pacific and Middle East.

— City News Service

Follow Camp Pendleton Patch on Twitter and Facebook. Add your photos to the Neighborhood Gallery.