How Navy Cooks Are Trained To Feed 5,000 Sailors On Aircraft Carriers | Boot Camp | Business Insider
Table of contents
- Navy culinary school: where future chefs learn to cook for thousands, ensuring sailors are well-fed and happy even miles from land.
- Learning to cook in a professional kitchen means unlearning home habits and embracing precision and discipline.
- Learning to take constructive criticism is key to growth and success.
- If you can't smell the seasoning, you're not really cooking.
- Overseasoning and over-salting can ruin a dish, but baking can be therapeutic and help ease the soul.
- Precision in baking is key—follow the recipe exactly for perfect results!
- Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to golden results.
- Turning classroom cooking into a Navy-ready feast—teamwork, precision, and passion on display!
Navy culinary school: where future chefs learn to cook for thousands, ensuring sailors are well-fed and happy even miles from land.
This is the Navy culinary school. You have no flavor on this plate, none whatsoever. Your meat is not done at all. Navy sailors spend up to nine months on deployment on vessels like aircraft carriers and destroyers in oceans around the world, thousands of miles from land. This is why every year, the Navy trains 3,900 culinary specialists to join the fleet. Everybody's got to eat, and it's either going to make people happy or make them upset.
After graduating from boot camp, future Navy culinary specialists head to Fort Greg Adams, Virginia, where they spend five weeks at the Navy's culinary specialist school. Here, they learn how to cook meals for up to 5,000 sailors. It's a five-week course that teaches them food preparation, sanitation, nutrition, and any type of basic food skills they need to prepare food when they make it out to their next command on the fleet. The role of a Navy culinary specialist is to feed Navy sailors and also Department of Defense personnel established on Navy military installations, including ships, submarines, CB battalions, the vice president's house, the president's house, and four-star flag officers. On a carrier, they serve about 3,000 to 5,000 people in total, which is a significant responsibility.
Students arrive at the schoolhouse with varying levels of cooking experience. Some have minimal experience working in restaurants, while others have none. We prefer some without any type of experience so we can train them the right way, the way it should be done. They're getting ready for the fleet, where they won't be cooking for 20 to 30 people but for 3,000 to 5,000. Business Insider spent five days following different classes in various stages of training, where students learn the importance of sanitation and nutrition, techniques of cookery, small quantity baking, and culinary math. With the Department of Defense deploying naval ships to the Middle East amid the threat of war, as well as a growing Navy presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sustaining our sailors is paramount.
Students spend the first week of training in the classroom, learning the importance of sanitation and nutrition. Sanitation is the number one reason why people are able to get sick, so we try to ensure they take care of hygiene first to prevent cross-contamination. At the end of each training block, students must pass a written exam. They are taught to read the instructions verbatim, as it tells them exactly how things should be done.
During techniques of cookery, students learn the basics of cooking, from how and when to utilize specific equipment to the various techniques they'll need to prepare a meal. They go through knife safety training, learning different types of chops, such as cube chop and dice. Before students can enter the lab class, they go through a uniform inspection. Inspectors look for a nice crisp mark with two fresh creases in the front and four creases in the back. Uniforms must be free of dirt, grime, or anything that could cause food contamination. If students haven't shaved and don't have a No Shave document, they need to do a proper shave to meet the hygiene standards required.
Learning to cook in a professional kitchen means unlearning home habits and embracing precision and discipline.
Before students can enter the lab class, they must undergo a uniform inspection. A uniform inspection ensures that students have a nice, crisp uniform with two fresh creases in the front and four creases in the back. Mr. Boston, for example, is noted for having well-maintained boots and creases in the back. Additionally, the ferret must be cut and free of dirt, grime, or anything that could cause food contamination. If a student’s uniform is dirty, they need to clean it before starting. If they haven't shaved and don't have a No Shave document, they need to perform a proper shave. The goal is to have a nice, clean uniform with nothing on it at all.
Each class begins with a demonstration from the instructor. The instructor shows students how to prepare a meal step by step, following a recipe card. For example, they might demonstrate how to make rice, emphasizing the importance of reading the recipe card correctly. Once the instructor has facilitated the preparation, students are expected to emulate the process verbatim. Some students come from backgrounds where they learned to cook from their grandmothers or mothers, but they must adapt to the proper techniques taught in class. The aim is to break the mindset of home cooking and instill professional culinary practices.
Students often make mistakes, such as adding all ingredients at once instead of following the proper sequence. This can result in dishes that don't look or taste right. For instance, a beef stew might end up looking like soup if not prepared correctly. Despite initial failures, students learn and improve. One student, for example, felt a sense of accomplishment after successfully preparing a dish, even though it initially seemed daunting.
Constructive criticism is a key part of the learning process. Instructors must be honest about the students' mistakes to help them improve. For instance, if a dish is not up to standard, the instructor will point out specific issues, such as the need for more water or better seasoning. The presentation of the dish is also crucial, as we eat with our eyes. A well-presented plate is more appealing and likely to be eaten.
At the end of the meal, students have the opportunity to come up with their own restaurant concepts. The instructor plays the role of a restaurant manager or CEO, providing constructive criticism to simulate real-world feedback. This exercise helps students understand what it feels like to receive feedback in a professional setting. For example, one student presented a dish with potatoes, beef, and a limited edition sauce. The instructor asked for details about the dish before tasting it, emphasizing the importance of knowing and presenting the ingredients clearly.
Overall, the structured approach in the lab class, from uniform inspections to step-by-step meal preparation and constructive feedback, aims to prepare students for the professional culinary world.
Learning to take constructive criticism is key to growth and success.
When the students are done with their product, I give them an opportunity to come up with their own restaurant. I sit down and treat them as a restaurant manager or CEO, and I am the customer. Good morning, sir. Morning, welcome to Polar. I provide constructive criticism back to them so they get an idea of what it feels like once they get to the fleet. Once you get to the fleet, there will be a lot of constructive criticism out there, and you have to be able to learn how to take that.
Before you serve me that, sir, I would like to know what is on this plate. It has potatoes, beef, and a limited edition sauce only created by us. Make sure we get a little carrots, all right, a little bit of potatoes in there. Here we go. Sir, you won't make $2 off this plate. You won't make a dime off this plate. One, presentation. Two, you have no flavor on this plate, none whatsoever. He said it was so good that it was probably like $2, not $10. What you did to boost my cholesterol, look at all that oil. Do you understand what I'm saying? It was my first time going off a recipe. I got some very good commentary on my food; it wasn't the best. That's fine, we are going to keep striving for greatness.
Welcome to JT's. We want you to try our newest beef, Beef Ru. All right, it is missing the enhancement here, missing some type of salt. This has more of a creamy taste, and you're not looking for anything creamy. So right now, you're looking at a four and a half. The seasoning, you have to add more seasoning, you have to have more flavor, you have to bring it out. Other than that, I think you all did an outstanding job. I like that you finished in a reasonable time. I followed the recipe a little bit, but I know he said sometimes you can steer off. You have to try to break that habit from how you cook at home to how you cook in the military. When he tasted the food, he said he didn't taste it, but I know I put a lot in there. Getting a 4 and a 2 was a bit of a shock, but he has to keep it real with us and let us know like, Hey, you did this pretty well, but you need to work on this and you can do this better.
Go ahead and put your meat inside your pot. Sometimes they like to take a mile; they want to be creative with the product they are making, but they get outside of what we tell them to do. With us, it's all about teaching them the basic knowledge because by teaching the basic knowledge, it gives them an opportunity. Everything the students learn during techniques of cookery is put to the test at the end of the week when they take a practical and a written exam before moving on to the next stage of training.
During the practical, students have one hour to make spaghetti and meat sauce according to the recipe card, this time without the help of their instructor. I'm excited for the test. I've been studying a lot. I've actually made spaghetti before, so this is actually going to be pretty good. Hopefully, the chief likes it. In order for you to pass the product, you just have to do the basics. You have to know how to read a recipe card. Now that I see them with the basics, you have to understand that the recipe card we made today required us to cook a small batch of spaghetti meat sauce, not a large batch. So we can't get ahead of ourselves and try to add more to the pot, then we end up overpowering our product.
Look good, I really do. You see how good that smells? You can literally smell the seasoning, can't you? See, theirs just smells like if you don't smell the aroma, bro, then you're not cooking. Get out of the kitchen. Taste has no sense. You smell it, it smells great. We're always going back and forth, Bro, you don't do this, you don't do this, and bringing it into the kitchen is more just like a motivation, like, All right, my food is going to be better than yours. It's good. Salt, a bit more salt, bit more salt, bit more salt. Okay, is the meat nice? Meat needs salt. One to ten, what would you give it? Okay, what about mine? If I had... Hey, you hear that?
If you can't smell the seasoning, you're not really cooking.
You can literally smell the seasoning, can't you? It just smells like if you don't smell the aroma, bro, then you're not cooking. Get out of the kitchen. Taste has no sense; it smells great. We're always going back and forth, "You don't do this, you don't do this," and bringing it in the kitchen is more just like a motivation, like, "Alright, my food is going to be better than yours." It's good salt, a bit more salt, bit more salt, bit more salt. Okay, is the meat nice? It needs salt. On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate it? Okay, what about mine? If I had... hey, at me, you hear that? It got flavor, salty. Try your own product. That's way too much salt, would you agree? It has flavor, but it is literally over-salted. That is done. We just got to find a way to come up with the plate; it's going to look great, better than yesterday. Yesterday was not great.
As the practical comes to an end, the students hurry up to finish their meals and present them to the instructor. "I'm looking for attention to detail. I'm looking for how much did you pay attention when I was giving out the instruction. I'm also looking for how much you paid attention to the actual recipe card. What I'm looking for is plate presentation. I'm looking for that nice flavor. Let's go." If he says my noodles are bad, I understand. If he says the meat is great, I would understand too because I tried it; it's great.
"Good morning, sir. I would like to introduce you." "Good morning, sir." "Morning, can I help you?" "Well, today I would like to know what's on your menu for today." "Today we have spaghetti." As soon as I gave my plate, you can see the oil, and I saw it too. "Alright, take a look. You see all that grease in there? What do you think you're supposed to do in this situation right here?" "Drain the grease out." "You're supposed to drain the grease out, right?" "Yes, sir." "But you could have utilized flour to absorb that, right? You do not want to serve your customer a plate with grease." He gave me some good feedback. Again, it was too oily. He said it was good; it was just too greasy, and the noodles were dry. From the start, I already knew my noodles weren't going to be so great. They were pretty dry, but they did have a good taste. We have a good taste as far as sauce-wise, though. I'm looking more for that. I didn't really get a good taste of the sauce. It tastes more like ground beef and noodles, so make sure you focus more on the sauce. Tracking? But it does have a good taste, though. So, good deal.
Personally, my dish to me was good. I kept adding salt to it because someone said it had no salt. I kept adding water or tomato paste, and slowly it kept changing the flavor. My end result was good; it was too oily, I understand. I didn't know how to remove that, but my end result was pretty good. I liked it. It's seasoned very well. So, what is it seasoned with? Salt, pepper, black pepper, sugar, and tomato paste. I'm a bit nervous to taste, but we are going on a trip right now. You can literally taste every seasoning, right? No, that's not a good thing. Somebody's blood pressure will go up. I should not be tasting the oregano. I should not be tasting the thyme. I taste both of them. Why? Because it's heavily seasoned. So, your task is to figure out why you would overseason with basil. You know what basil, oregano, and thyme are. They are exquisite tastes that you don't want to overpower because they give a bad taste in your mouth after. But that's all I taste. Where are the other flavors? By tasting that part right there, it's now over-salted. That means you went heavy with the salt.
For me, it was hard to tell the difference between the salt and sugar; they're both white. So, why would you put them side by side? I wasn't thinking. I had them all on a plate, and they were all just decorated. Did you follow the recipe card? That recipe card said half a teaspoon of oregano and thyme, no more than 1/4. But I can guarantee you did more than just that.
Overseasoning and over-salting can ruin a dish, but baking can be therapeutic and help ease the soul.
Overseasoning with basil can be problematic. Basil, whether regular or another variety, has an exquisite taste that you don't want to overpower because it can leave a bad taste in your mouth afterward. This is true for other flavors as well. When you over-salt, it means you went heavy with the salt. For me, it was hard to tell the difference between the salt and sugar since they're both white. So, why would you put them side by side? I wasn't thinking; I had them all on a plate, and they were just decorated.
Did you follow the recipe card? The recipe card said half a teaspoon of oregano and thyme, right? No more than a quarter, but I can guarantee you did more than just that. This right here feels like a tablespoon of each. I want you to take a fork and taste it. I want to see your facial expression. You need to taste it yourself. Exactly, you need some water or juice; it does help. I saw someone add oregano on top, and I thought, "Okay," but when I did it myself, it all went right out the window. I'm a little frustrated, but I'm going to get it together soon.
You kind of over-garnished. I like that you made the ground beef pile in the middle, but you shouldn't add anything on the side. You didn't need anything on the side before I ate it. If you took this to a judge, what do you think the judge would have said? He probably wouldn't have been disrespectful, but he would have said something similar. It does have some type of flavor; it's just all over the place. Moving forward, let's focus more on making that sauce right. I asked for a sauce. This is just ground beef with noodles.
Overall, it was fun. I think they did well in terms of presentation. I got a lot of great flavors from each product, though some weren't so great. These trainees will continue to develop their culinary skills during the remaining three weeks of training. When they get to their galley, everything they learned at school will be put to the test. On a smaller platform like a DDG, they need to pick up skills quickly to run the galley by themselves. Weekly, we purchase around $5,000 to $7,000 of food, depending on our class size, and yearly it can go up to $180,000.
According to the Navy, the average culinary specialist makes about $48,000 a year, and that pay can vary if they're on a seagoing vessel, a submarine, or any shore duty facilities. The average sailor makes around $4,000 a month. The first thing we're going to do is go over the utensils at our station. Can you please hold up the first utensil so everybody can see it? In the Navy, you're out for a good while, and sometimes it can be a little depressing, but baking is therapy. It helps with your stress level; people don't realize that, but baking eases the soul.
This will begin our block for baking pies today. I hope everybody studied for their pies. Did we study over the weekend? Okay. When they get to the galley, they're going to be doing large quantities, but they have to learn to bake with small quantities from the beginning. I'm just going to roll back towards me, roll and lift, roll and lift. If you do it the same way I do it, you'll get the same results. Usually, with pie, the difficult part is rolling the pie crust and getting the right thickness or thinness, making sure they have enough coverage for the pie pan, and then putting it in the pie pan without tearing or breaking it. They really have to pay attention to the instruction during the demo.
That looks good. You all can turn your oven off once you pull your pie out. A common fault when making quick breads is over-mixing, so we're going to mix these by hand. In this module, we go over quick breads, breads, and sweets.
Precision in baking is key—follow the recipe exactly for perfect results!
From the beginning, I’m just going to roll back towards me, roll and lift, roll and lift. If you do it the same way I do it, you'll get the same results. Usually, with pie, the difficult part is rolling the pie crust and getting the thickness or thinness that they need. Making sure that they have enough coverage for it to actually fit in the pie pan and then actually putting it in the pie pan without it tearing or breaking is crucial. They really have to pay attention to the instruction during the demo for that. That looks good. You all can turn your oven off once you pull your pie out.
A common fault when it comes to making quick breads is over-mixing. So, we're going to mix these by hand. In this module, we go over quick breads, breads, and sweets. We do cookies, cakes, and pies. I bake more brownies and cookies, stuff like that. Learning to bake biscuits, cakes, and similar items from scratch is essential. I take it in and try to soak it up like a sponge. Just want to shape it now, don’t keep mixing it.
The culinary school in New York teaches you how to make small batches. Compared to the Navy, they’re getting me ready for the fleet. I’m not going to be cooking for 20 to 30 people; I’m cooking for 1,000 to 3,000. That big quantity difference is going to help me learn how to multitask, even triple task if I have to. Compared to doing one or two steps, I’m learning to do three, four, or five steps at a single time.
Measuring accurately is crucial. For example, 7 and 1/4 ounces—there are only 8 ounces in a cup. If you put a cup and a half in, that’s 12 ounces. You are 5 ounces over. That’s why we measure and weigh it. One of my sailors totally messed up all the ingredients and had to start over. Not a big deal. If you want to remeasure all the stuff and give it another shot, go ahead. But remember, that’s why it’s important to follow instructions. Simply put, I got nervous and locked up, which normally never happens, but it was because I didn’t follow the instructions.
Baking is like an art and a science. Unlike cooking, where you can miss a step here or there, in baking, you really have to follow the recipe precisely. Time, temperature, and ingredients all play a big role. Let’s see what you’ve got, Reynolds. Yes, they’re almost there. There you go, golden brown color. I’m proud of myself. I got them all on time. I honestly thought they would not come out the way I wanted, but I’d rate them about an 8 or 8.5 out of 10. They came out fluffy, with the golden brown on the top. If I left them a little longer, they would have dried out.
Students must pass a written exam that covers everything they’ve learned in the classroom. We do a practical, which is a muffin, giving them the recipe card based on everything they’ve learned since they’ve been in small quantity baking. They are just let loose to see how the product turns out. They cannot ask their instructor any questions, not even to turn their oven on when they’re supposed to. We all had 20 minutes to gather all our ingredients. We weren’t able to start combining stuff until everyone did that. I looked at the recipe about two or three times, knew what I was going to do, and what action to take before he called the timer. You now have 1 hour to mix, bake, and clean up all your stations, and then obviously pull your muffins out of the ovens. Don’t forget to follow the methods. All right, y’all can begin.
Are they following the recipe? Are they using the right methods? Are they measuring instead of weighing, or weighing instead of measuring? Just basic stuff like that. Did they preheat the oven? We’re looking for consistency. These are standardized military recipes, so we’re looking for how many people got close to the same product. They’re coming out pretty good. It looks like he’s getting that nice golden brown color.
Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to golden results.
Before he called the timer, you now have 1 hour to mix, bake, and clean up all your stations and then obviously pull your muffins out of the ovens. Don't forget to follow the methods. All right, y'all can begin. Are they following the recipe? Are they doing the right methods? Are they measuring instead of weighing or weighing instead of measuring? Just basic stuff like that. Did they preheat the oven? We're just looking for consistency. These are standardized military recipes, so we're just looking for consistency in how many people got close to the same product.
I like they coming out pretty good. It looks like he’s getting that nice golden crown, golden color, maybe a little... but that doesn't mean it won't be good. I'm confident in my skills. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're going to come out pretty good. This is exactly what happens when you over-mix right here. This one actually looks really nice. Looks can be deceiving, so let's see when we try. I ended up over-mixing, which doesn't really affect the taste of the muffins but more of the look, so I didn't get that muffin top how it's supposed to look. Everything else did come out nice and golden brown, and the flavor was 8 out of 10.
This is all basic level entry for baking. Some of them have never done it before. We would never fail anybody for giving a good shot. Out of the nine students, seven of them had really great muffins. Oh, that's nice. Good golden color right there. That's pretty good. Thank you. Honestly, the way I felt about going into the practical, I really didn't want to do it. Baking wasn't really my forte; it's not my strength. But you know, you got to step out of your comfort zone sometimes and just do the best you can. Good job.
Man, my muffins were good. I kind of like mine a little more golden. Could have used a little bit more sugar, but you know we got to follow the recipe to the T. Baking is, in my opinion, the most important thing on the fleet. That's where you're going to have the highest morale boost right there. You get a nice hot fresh muffin, cookie, or cake. If it tastes good and looks good, you're just going to be happier eating it. So that we know if the entrée or the side dishes we are putting out, the crew likes, which is really important during deployment. There are going to be things you're going to put out, and the crew is going to absolutely hate, but the nature that they do like, you'll see those are over 100%.
Students must also master what's known as culinary math, where they learn to adjust recipe cards to accommodate the size of the crew they're feeding. All our recipe cards are per 100 portions. We learn culinary math, and the culinary math that we teach them is quantity yield adjustments, also how to do recipe conversions. You may have a small ship that has only 150 people, like a submarine, and you may go to a carrier that carries over 5,000 people. Students also learn equations used to determine the crew's satisfaction with a specific dish. If it's lower than five, you downward stays the same. That's correct. So class, did everybody get 84%?
Everything the students learn in the first four weeks is put to the test in the final stage of training known as Galley Week. Students will spend four days preparing meals inside a kitchen similar to those found on Navy ships and shoreside facilities. The biggest challenge for our students is being up this early and not being quite used to it because in boot camp they don't get up this early. So, 4:00 in the morning wake up, sometimes 3:45 to get here by 5:00, and immediately start working. There's no time to come in and take a break or sit down. You got to come in here and get down to business. They work as a team to prepare breakfast and lunch each day. It's just a small practice run for those going to the ships. Mind you, on the ship, this PO is about 10 SI. It's going to be a workout. Yes, ma'am, it is.
Galley Week culminates with a special meal. This class is preparing oxtail, curry chicken, chicken dumpling soup, ribs, and mac and cheese. Special meals are served to the entire schoolhouse. They get to express to the rest of the students and instructors to show the techniques, the baking, and they get to showcase that they can follow a recipe card, put out a good product, and follow directions reading recipe cards.
Turning classroom cooking into a Navy-ready feast—teamwork, precision, and passion on display!
I'm going to take a break; I want to sit down. You got to come in here and get down to business. They work as a team to prepare breakfast and lunch each day. It's just a small practice run for those going to the ships. Yes, mind you, on the ship, this PO is about 10 SI. It's going to be a workout. Yes, ma'am, it is. Gley week culminates with a special meal. This class is preparing oxtail curry chicken, chicken dumpling soup, ribs, and mac and cheese. Special meals are served to the entire Schoolhouse. They get to express to the rest of the students and instructors, showcasing the techniques, the baking, and their ability to follow a recipe card, put out a good product, and follow directions.
Reading recipe cards on the book for a test is one thing, but reading it and then actually incorporating that into the actual dish is a lot harder than you really think it is, especially doing it the Navy way. I'm in charge of the curry chicken, so I'm just browning it. Then we're going to marinate it and put it into the oven, and then it's going to cook the rest of it. I'm only browning it. We got to do the same thing. You need help? Yes, com. When you cook a big meal like this, you tend to get distracted or tired. So, I was making sure everybody stays on their p's and q's. If you contaminate the rest of this, you have to throw away 20 eggs just for one mistake. Makes sense? All right, let me know if you need help, man.
These past few weeks I have enjoyed every single moment. When I step inside the classroom, I open up my mind and soak up knowledge like a sponge. It has been great, to be honest. I had a lot of fun, and the five weeks that I was dreading have gone by really fast. I really miss it, to be honest. I'm not even gone yet. The only thing I think I don't really have to worry about right here is this. As lunchtime nears, the class begins moving the food to the dining room.
Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning. I am CSSN, and I'm CSSN. On behalf of class 150, we would like to formally invite you to lunch today. On today's menu, we have jerk ribs, oxtail stew, and curry chicken. Do you accept our invitation? Yes, I will be down there shortly. Perfect, lunch starts at 11:00. Okay, thank you very much. Inviting people to breakfast and lunch is a big thing for us here at the school. We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to eat what we have created for them.
Today, my role was setting up the wardrobe. You get the drinks, you create a menu of what the officers like to eat. Today, we had to set it formal, so we had a formal dining set today. As you saw today, you have to be here. You have to make sure that this person is taken care of. What if they're short over here? So, just making sure that you're focused on the mission but ensuring all parts of the mission come together so it can get played out perfectly.
Today, we graduated A school. We received our certificates that we finished class. It's very bittersweet because everyone's going to different parts of the world, but also a great moment too, especially for me, being promoted to E4. The Navy says over 99% of students who start the course graduate on the first shot. It's going to be formal. The second shot is going to be a lot of classes coming in, and they don't all stay together. Some people fall behind. Everybody that's here right now is everybody that we had when we started. They will go and leave for two weeks, spend time with their family, and recharge their batteries. Then, after that, they go to their ship.
When I get home, I'm going home with my mom. My mom already knows what she's making me for dinner, getting my nails done, and I'm finally being able to wear earrings again. Once these new culinary specialists deploy, they'll spend 3 to 5 years preparing meals on Navy ships before they can prepare meals at a shoreside facility. Oh, Estrada in the back, are they good? This is a standard Navy recipe muffin right here. Yep, not bad, not bad.