Chef Whips Up New Ideas with USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

Since 03-14-04

From NSL UPDATE 02-06-2004

Chef Whips Up New Ideas with Cheyenne

By Journalist 3rd Class Corwin Colbert, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- In January, Chef Trevor Hamilton volunteered to help the culinary specialists (CS) aboard USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) "tighten up" their meals. Hamilton, a native of Ontario, Canada, has been a chef for 26 years. This year, he is spending 26 days giving a helping hand to Navy cooks. He has been aboard USS Bremerton (SSN 698), USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and is currently aboard Cheyenne.

As a part of the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet's (COMSUBPAC) sponsored "Adopt-a-Ship" program, he has been sharing his skills with Sailors since 1999. COMSUBPAC's Force Culinary Specialist, Senior Chief Culinary Specialist Joseph Demeule, handles the paperwork to have Hamilton sponsored every year. "Hamilton has done a phenomenal job. The CSs get firsthand industry knowledge. They learn more in a day with a professional chef than they do in a two-week class," said Demeule.

During Hamilton's five years of voluntary service, he has spent 122 days at sea, with seven of those days underway aboard a submarine. I came to volunteer my time to the cooks in the fleet," said Hamilton. "I want to show them the difference between fleet and civilian cooking venues. However, I am not here to teach them how to cook. I am here just to show them different ways of improving recipes."

The CSs aboard Cheyenne took advantage of having Hamilton aboard and decided to cook up some new ideas. "Chef Trevor gave us a lot of insight and suggestions. He helped us learn how to spice up the meals," said Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Wesley Clark. He is here to improve our techniques," said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Rick Watts. "On Martin Luther King Day, we made cream of mushroom soup, chicken gumbo, clam sauce and curry sauce." "We use a lot of leftovers when creating the meal," said Hamilton.

According to Watts, Hamilton's visit is different from "C" school. "Some of us have been to 'C' school, which is great and teaches the skills needed for a future career in the civilian sector, but it's harder to apply most of the skills on the boat," said Watts. "Chef Trevor has shown us how to use the limited supplies and restrictions we have on board to create a more tasty meal," he said.

For Cheyenne CSs, this isn't the first culinary-oriented program in which they have participated. During their drydock period, the Honolulu Country Club adopted the Cheyenne Warrior cooks. The CSs had the opportunity to spend two weeks learning advanced baking techniques under the guidance of Master Pastry Chef Richard Wagner. "We got the chance to work with Chef Wagner at the Honolulu Country Club. It was fun; we had the opportunity to learn a lot of recipes and bring them back to the ship," said Clark.

With Hamilton and Wagner's voluntary time and effort, the CSs not only received priceless training, but also received some valuable incentives.

"They get college credit or continuing education credits for all the training they received from both periods," said Garnsey. The Sailors enjoyed having Hamilton aboard, and Hamilton was ecstatic about being there. "The food was already great, but now it is a little more refreshing," said Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Angier Hsu. "I truly believe the hardest place to cook is on the submarine," he said.