THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511230595
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Chief Warrant Officer Frank Fuller showed his shipmates how to dress the green turkeys by fluffing up their purple wings.
Actually, the birds were green apples; their wings, purple cabbage leaves. There also were potato roses and carrot palm trees, topped with green pepper fronds.
The decorations were an added touch on a pre-Thanksgiving Day meal that 14 sailors from the supply department of the submarine tender Emory S. Land brought to 100 guests at the Union Mission.
After the sailors cleaned up from the noontime lasagna lunch, they stayed around to help the staff slice 15 roasted turkeys, make some stuffing and do whatever else they could to ease the burden of serving dinner to an estimated 200 guests at noon today.
``I felt good about turning them loose in my kitchen,'' said John Stones, head cook at the mission. ``They know what they're doing. They're very efficient, for having 14 people work in that little space. It's just a blessing that someone takes so much interest and cares so much.''
Fuller and at least two more of the Navy volunteers definitely know what they're doing when it comes to food. They have attended culinary arts schools, where they learned to make those little carrot palm trees.
Last year the ship won the Edward F. Ney Award for Excellence in Food Service. That means the ship is the best ``feeder'' in the Atlantic Fleet, second best in the Navy.
As guests filed into the dining room, John Gray, mission superintendent, introduced the Navy men and women who cooked, then added, ``We're not having bologna today. Does that break your hearts?''
On most days, the Union Mission kitchen serves a free soup and sandwich lunch to about 100 men. Then there is a hot meal for at least that many, plus about 30 women and children who stay in the Mission's family shelter, each evening.
The sailors wanted to do something special, in contrast to Thanksgiving, so they offered to make and serve lasagna. They told Stones what they'd need and he made sure the ingredients were on hand when the sailors arrived at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Exactly what does go into a good lasagna for a hundred? About 20 pounds of ground beef, 10 pounds of cottage cheese, four pounds of onions, a half-pound of garlic, three dozen eggs, five pounds of mozzarella cheese, and ``attention to detail,'' said Fuller.
Each serving of the Navy's lasagna racks up about 1,000 calories, he said.
All that attention paid off when Robert Woodley, 73, commented that ``this is the first time I ever tasted lasagna this good.''
And Lee Askew, who had the day off from his normal job in the Mission's kitchen, said the sailors ``did a wonderful job. It's beautiful to have them serve you. God bless them for doing it.''
Most of the 12 officers and two enlisted men who prepared, served and cleaned up from the meal usually work in offices in the ship's supply department. But they were happy to ``get out of the office for the day,'' said Lt. j.g. Bradley McMillan.
``It's easy to come down here with a bunch of friends and do this for one day,'' McMillan said. ``The real credit goes to those who do it every day.''
A lot of meals have been served in the building, a former Navy YMCA, since it became the interdenominational Union Mission in 1970. But none had ever been prepared and served by Navy personnel, according to the Rev. Ted Bashford, who has been the Misson's executive director since 1956.
``Oh, we get lots of help from the Navy. But this is the first time they've ever just taken over, done all the cooking themselves,'' Bashford said. ``We're tickled to death that men and women of rank would come down to help out.
``And the lasagna's delicious.'' ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Wendy Walker of the supply department of the sub tender Emory S.
Land offers refreshments to some of the 100 guests at the Union
Mission Wednesday. After the sailors cleaned up from the lunch, they
stayed to help the staff prepare for 200 guests today.
Lt. j.g. Bradley McMillan, left, samples bread made by Donald
Wafford. A lot of meals have been served in the former Navy YMCA
since the building became the Union Mission in 1970.
by CNB