Unlikely Las Vegas dining establishment receives culinary accolades By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs Office LAS VEGAS – The dining establishment receiving attention here this week in a city that prides itself on its culinary decadence doesn’t feature linen tablecloths and napkins. You won’t find foie gras, camembert or cabernet sauvignon on the menu. It’s never been mentioned in the Michelin travel guide. One doesn’t have to take an elevator to a revolving roof-top setting and it doesn’t require an American Express black card to cover the tab. Forget about making reservations – the place doesn’t even have a permanent address and prepares its meals in a camouflaged mobile field kitchen in non-descript corner area behind a military building just off The Strip. Despite lacking all of the attributes that traditionally combine for a Las Vegas four-star dining experience, the field food service staff of the Nevada Army Guard’s Charlie Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion received notification on Aug. 18 that it won the Region 7 Connelly Excellence in Food Service Competition in the field kitchen category. The unit is now set to compete in the national Connelly competition in Las Vegas on Nov. 8. The Connelly program was established in 1968 to recognize excellence in Army food service. The award is named after the late Philip Connelly, the former president of competition co-sponsor International Food Executives Association. Nevada has placed second in the national competition twice but has never produced a national champion. After sampling the competition meal prepared Aug. 2, food services officer Chief Warrant Officer Keith Mackie said Charlie Company will be in the hunt for the national title. “If this crew does everything right, on time, it’s going to happen,” Mackie said. “This is our best field feeding team in the state.” Even with Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris and the Aureole at Mandalay Bay available for lunch after they bid Nevada Embedded Training Team farewell on Aug. 2, both Brig. Gen. Frank Gonzales and Command Sgt. Maj. Steve Sitton opted to join about 65 other Soldiers and sample Charlie Company’s meal that featured meat loaf with brown gravy, pepper pot soup and the unit’s famous jalapeno corn bread. Per Army regulations, the caloric content of the meal was also posted: 1,115. “It was an outstanding meal,” Gonzales said, noting that the price ($3.85) was a bargain compared to what he usually spent on a lunch at The Strip. “This is my ninth time at a Connelly competition meal. All have been good, but this meal today was better than the two meals I sampled with the units that finished in second place.” Competing in the field kitchen category meant Charlie Company had to serve at least 50 Soldiers who were armed (carrying M-16s and wearing load-bearing equipment) and made a tactical approach to the feeding area. The meal was judged by evaluators from Bowhead Logistics Division, a military contracting company based in Virginia. Soldiers who received special mention from Bowhead for their effort during the competition included: Staff Sgt. John George, Sgt. Patrick Graham, Sgt. Dawn Hunt, Sgt. Allen Sosnick, Spc. Hugh Haugen, Spc. Michael Brand and Pfc. Aaron Wild.
Although it was responsible for just one meal, Charlie Company began preparing for its Aug. 2 luncheon three days in advance. “We began by setting up the tents on Wednesday, added the table, chairs and camouflage on Thursday and then went grocery shopping on Friday,” said George, who also doubles as a bartender at Paris Casino. “The competition itself is not hard, but it is time consuming. Especially when you have menu items that contain a bunch of celery and onions and you have to chop up the product.” Mackie said the unit wasn’t too nervous before the regional competition. The bigger prize potentially awaits three months from now, when Charlie Company will compete against the best field-kitchen units from Puerto Rico, Virginia, Oregon, Ohio, Louisiana and Massachusetts in the national competition. “This was like the first round of the playoffs, the national competition is like the Super Bowl,” Mackie said. -30-