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Naval Subase Kings Bay
Navy Daily News Update 05/05/2006
Video
A Naval Media Center News Clip

Chef Brad Duffell Teaches And Works Side By Side With Navy CS's At Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Galley.

More on the Adopt A ship Program:

Cafe Meeting Place Article:

Adopt-a-Ship: Culinary Training on the High Seas

An interview with Michael Harants, CEC, CCE, Corporate Chef, US Navy, Navy Family Support, Adopt-a-Ship Program Manager.

One doesn’t generally think of culinary training as an adventure on the high seas but the Adopt-a-Ship program offers just that.  
The program began in 1997 as a partnership between the US Navy and the American Culinary Federation to provide training to
the Culinary Specialist (enlisted Navy culinary personnel known as the CS).

The idea is to supplement the fundamental culinary skills that the CSs already possess, bringing their abilities to the same level as
industry standards.  The Navy is recruiting industry chefs, cooks, and instructors to assist with this training.

Michael Harants, CEC, CCE, Corporate Chef, US Navy, became the Adopt-a-Ship program manager in June 2003.  Since that
time, 700 industry professionals have been registered in the Adopt-a-Ship database and 146 have participated in the program.  
Some chefs choose to offer a one-day service when a ship is in port.  Others make the voyage to sea for as long as nine weeks
(the journey may be rigorous but never dangerous.  Visiting chefs are not sent into hostile environments).  The length of service is
determined by the ship’s schedule and the needs of the volunteer, — yes, volunteer.  There is no monetary remuneration for
offering your culinary knowledge.

Boarding a ship may not increase your bank account but Harants says there are several reasons why industry professionals are
attracted to such an unusual experience.  “It gives chefs an opportunity to share what they know with the US Navy,” Harants
explains.  “To give back to the people who are out there protecting our country.  But it is not just about community, patriotic
service, and shipboard adventure, the participating chefs learn too.”

In fact, it is common for experienced chefs to return with a greater understanding and knowledge of organizational and sanitation
procedures.  The Navy is known for their high sanitation standards.  There is also the opportunity for both visiting chef and CS to
earn Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) required by the American Culinary Federation for initial certification and renewal.  To
date, 3,000 CSs have participated and 20,000 CEHs have been awarded.

Still, this type of service is not for everyone and Harants knows exactly what kind of volunteer he is looking for.  No stranger to the
culinary world, Harants is a certified executive chef and is well equipped to identify appropriate candidates.  His approach is
straightforward, seeking those chefs, cooks and bakers “that have the ability and desire to share their experiences, skills, and
knowledge with the men and women CSs of the US Navy.”

The kinds of culinary professionals that do volunteer are diverse — there are male and female chefs, those with corporate
experience and those with upscale dining backgrounds.  There are retired chefs and culinary instructors.  “We even had one chef
instructor bring along seven students,” says Harants.  “The students developed their own lesson plans and presented them to the
CSs.  The students worked along side the CSs in the ship’s galley with each lesson in mind.”  It was an experience that both the
students and the CSs benefited from.

And there are those chefs that offer their time on more than one occasion.  For example, Chef Kim Brock Brown has an ongoing
relationship with the CSs of Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, SC.  Chef Brock Brown conducts monthly seminars to
encourage CS culinary certification.  “The CSs like it,” says Harants.  “It’s great for morale.”

The Navy places great emphasis on morale.  Food is a big part of that.  Variety, quality, and presentation are paramount when
one is deployed on a ship for six months at a time, eating three meals per day in the same place.  “It’s about the quality of life
aboard the ship,” says Harants.  “It is essential.”

Aircraft carriers can provide up to 20,000 meals per day.  To accomplish that, you will find 120 CSs attached to these large
commands working in the afloat galleys.  The prospect of preparing such an overwhelming number of meals would make most
industry chefs quiver.  If you consider that foodservice is available 23 hours per day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight meal
– it is a task of necessity.  “Can you imagine the amount of eggs that have to be cracked?” notes Harants.  “We mass feed people
in a quality way and do it well.  In fact, the US Navy is noted for having the best food in the military.”

The necessity of mass feeding does not hinder the Navy’s aspiration to provide meal variety.  Menu cycles can range from 21-36
days.  Meals are designed to include everything from simple fare to a gourmet dinner prepared for two or three people of high-
level command meeting onboard ship.

Variety, large production, organization, and sanitation are not the only challenges.  There is another — the ship’s environment has
its limitations.  With neither open flame nor stoves on the ship, the CSs must prepare meals using griddles, steam jacketed kettles,
and ovens.

The Adopt-a-Ship program is growing and gaining increasing interest within the culinary industry but its course remains clear, “Our
goal is to support the CSs in their goal to serve and present quality food service to the men and women of the US Navy,” states
Harants.  “If we do this then we have accomplished our mission.”  And with great enthusiasm he adds, “I would like to challenge any
professional culinarian, whether a chef, cook or culinary instructor, to put themselves in this environment and live like a CS.”

For further information about Adopt-a-Ship contact: Chef Michael Harants at

Michael Harants, CEC, CCE
Corporate Chef, US Navy, Navy Family Support
Adopt a Ship Program Manager
717.605.6323 - Office
michael.harants@navy.mil