Leading foodservice teams from America’s Armed Forces recognized in Chicago during 2025 Military Foodservice Awards

Chicago, IL – May 19, 2025 – The military’s top foodservice units were honored Friday evening in Chicago at the 2025 Military Foodservice Awards – an event that gathered restaurant industry leaders to highlight the support and sustenance provided by individuals in the foodservice occupation in America’s Armed Forces.

Hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), the 2025 Military Foodservice Awards highlighted units that have demonstrated exceptional mastery of core restaurant industry standards – including food safety and sanitation, preparation, and execution. In addition to receiving awards, winning units from the Army, United States Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Military Sealift Command also heard from veteran and keynote speaker Derrick Green, founder of Waffles and Whatnot, who shared his take on leadership and growth. Watch a recording of the event here.

“These foodservice professionals are tremendously important to the success of the restaurant industry,” said Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “It is such a privilege to honor these individuals who do so much for their fellow service members. We’re grateful for their dedication to serving their country and each other.”

Military foodservice professionals play an essential role in ensuring force readiness across the globe, serving meals and nourishing their fellow service members – whether at home, deployed, or at-sea. Collectively, these units prepare and serve billions of meals each year, frequently in logistically complex environments like ship galleys, submarines, and forward operating bases.

“Military foodservice teams are exceptionally skilled in creating and serving meals that nourish and sustain, and they do it multiple times each day in some of the most challenging environments in the world,” said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “The Foundation is deeply committed to equipping them with top tier skills to execute this important work and building pathways into our industry once they are ready to transition to a civilian career.”

The awards ceremony kicked off a weekend of celebratory events for winning foodservice teams at the National Restaurant Association Show in conjunction with Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 17. Members of these teams spent three days participating in the Foundation’s Advanced Management Training Program, where they learned about industry career pathways, the fundamentals of restaurant management and leadership, and developed their own restaurant concepts. The weekend also offered winners the chance to visit the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago and complete their Professional Certification through ServSuccess.

The following units were recognized as 2025 Military Foodservice Award winners:

Philip A. Connelly Awards, honoring the Army:

• Active Army Field Feeding Company Winner: 581st Quartermaster Company, 2nd Infantry Division Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Humphreys, Korea
• Active Army Brigade Support Battalion Winner: 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Liberty, North Carolina
• United States Army Reserve Field Kitchen Winner: 1003rd Quartermaster Field Feeding Detachment, 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Army National Guard Field Kitchen Winner: I Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, Omaha, Nebraska

Major General W.P.T. Hill Memorial Awards, honoring the United States Marine Corps:

• Best Management and Mess Attendant Mess Hall: Anderson Mess Hall, Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii Marine Corps Installations Pacific
• Best Full Food Service Mess Hall: Mess Hall 622, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Marine Corps Installations West
• Best Active Field Mess: Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Forces Pacific
• Best Reserve Field Mess: Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserves

Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards, honoring the Navy:

• Small East Coast Platform Winner: USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), Rota, Spain
• Small West Coast Platform Winner: USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• Medium East Coast Platform Winner: USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), Norfolk, Virginia
• Medium West Coast Platform Winner: USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), San Diego, California
• Large Platform Winner: USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Yokosuka, Japan
• Submarine Platform Winner: USS Annapolis (SSN 760), Guam
• Aircraft Carrier Platform Winner: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Norfolk, Virginia
• East Coast General Mess Winner: Roy M. Wheat Galley, Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi
• West Coast General Mess Winner: Mercer Hall Galley, Naval Base San Diego, California
• OCONUS General Mess Winner: Ristorante Bella Etna, Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy

Captain David M. Cook Food Service Excellence Awards, honoring the Military Sealift: Command

• Small Ship Category: USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7), Orange City, Texas
• Medium Ship Category: USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), Norfolk, Virginia
• Large Ship Category: USNS William Mclean (T-AKE-12), Norfolk, Virginia
• Hybrid Ship Category: USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), Gaeta, Italy

John L. Hennessy Awards for Excellence, honoring the Department of the Air Force:

• Missile Alert Field Feeding Operation: 90th Missile Wing, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
• Small Sites: 701st Munitions Support Squadron, Kleine-Brogel Air Base, Belgium
• Active Duty Foodservice Operations Region One Winner: 786th Force Support Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
• Active Duty Foodservice Operations Region Two Winner: 374th Force Support Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan
• Air Force Reserves Foodservice Operations Winner: 442nd Force Support Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
• Senior Master Sergeant Kenneth W. Disney Foodservice Award Winner: 138th Force Support Squadron, Tulsa, Oklahoma

In addition to its annual Military Foodservice Awards, the Foundation provides training through its Advanced Culinary Training Program (ACTP), connects transitioning military to apprenticeship opportunities, and provides scholarships to support military and veterans pursuing post-secondary education in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Visit ChooseRestaurants.org/military to learn more.

About The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) 

As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF’s charitable mission includes enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2024 Annual Impact Report.

CONTACT:

Hannah Oliver
holiver@nraef.org