Four teams of Roughrider Culinary Specialists gathered in the aft mess decks aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt to showcase their culinary talents and creativity to their chain of command, including the Executive Officer, Capt. Kyle Aduskevich. “This was absolutely amazing, I’ve been on aircraft carriers since 2004, and I can honestly say this is some of the best food I have eaten on a carrier,” said Aduskevich.
The four teams were tasked with making an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. A secret ingredient, honey, was mandatory for the teams to incorporate in each of their dishes. Judging was based on presentation, aroma, level of difficulty, and taste.
The winning team, from the forward galley, consisted of Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Sharia Morfin-Reynolds, Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Destiny Aranda, Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice, and Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Courtland Edwards.
The “Mighty Morfins” created an egg drop soup as the appetizer, chicken curry over rice for the entrée, and lemon cake as the dessert. CS2 Morfin-Reynolds, when asked about receiving first place, said “I didn’t know my skills were ever going to be recognized. I am very satisfied knowing as a team leader I'm successful in guiding my team.” The first-place trophy is displayed in the forward mess decks of the ship until next year’s competition. The team also received 24 hours of underway liberty.
USS Theodore Roosevelt is the flagship for Carrier Strike Group Nine, a multiplatform team comprised of CSG-9 staff, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23 staff, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN) 71, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, and DESRON 23 ships; Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Daniel K. Inouye (DDG118), and USS Halsey (DDG 97). CSG-9 ships and aircraft are capable of carrying out a wide variety of missions around the globe to include combat missions, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief response.
