{"id":464067,"date":"2025-05-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=464067"},"modified":"2025-05-31T09:24:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T09:24:14","slug":"ny-army-guard-cooks-take-part-in-veterans-food-festival-during-fleet-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=464067","title":{"rendered":"NY Army Guard cooks take part in Veterans Food Festival during Fleet Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n New York National Guard Staff Sgts. Leonor Jordan and David Selman, both assigned to the 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), unload the components of an assault kitchen from the back of a Humvee while participating in the Veterans Food Festival hosted by the South Street Seaport Foundation in New York on May 25, 2025. Ten Soldiers from the company demonstrated how the Army feeds troops in a tactical environment as part of the Fleet Week event. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Rothwyn)
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\n New York National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), unload the components of an assault kitchen from the back of a Humvee while participating in the Veterans Food Festival hosted by the South Street Seaport Foundation in New York on May 25, 2025. Ten Soldiers from the company demonstrated how the Army feeds troops in a tactical environment as part of the Fleet Week event. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Rothwyn)
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\n New York Army National Guard recruiter Spc. Standley Jean-Baptiste enjoys street food from the Farina Pasta Bar food truck that was set up at New York City’s South Street Seaport as part of the Veterans Food Festival held in the historic district on May 25, 2025. The New York Army national Guard’s 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), participated in the event which was held as part of the annual Fleet Week festivities. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Rothwyn)
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\n New York Army National Guard Staff Sgts. Jodian Beckford and David Selman with the 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), guide a Humvee hauling an assault kitchen into position at South Street Seaport in New York during the Veterans Food Festival held in the historic district on May 25, 2025. Ten members of the 1501st took part in the event, setting up the assault kitchen so members of the public could get a look at how the Army feeds troops in a tactical environment.(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Rothwyn)
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\n New York National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), who participated in the Veterans Food Festival hosted by the South Street Seaport Foundation in New York on May 25, 2025, sample foods prepared using MREs during a cooking class. Chef Jaume Biarnes, demonstrated how to get creative with the standard military rations during a class for military cooks held at Yondu Culinary Studios. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Rothwyn)
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NEW YORK \u2013 Ten New York Army National Guard cooks took part in a Veterans Food Festival held at New York\u2019s South Street Seaport historic area on May 25, 2025, as part of the city\u2019s annual Fleet Week events.<\/p>\n

The Soldiers, assigned to the 1501st Quartermaster company, a field feeding unit, set up an Army \u201cassault kitchen.\u201d They also got the opportunity to improve their culinary skills during a seminar conducted at a local cooking school.<\/p>\n

Hosted by the South Street Seaport Foundation, the festival was a collaborative effort led by Marine veteran Gene Wu and supported by the Robert Irvine Foundation, which provides support to veterans.<\/p>\n

Irvine is the host of the Food Network show \u201cRestaurant Impossible\u201d and the foundation helps veterans find careers in food service.<\/p>\n

The goal, according to Wu, who chairs the Military Council at the Yale Club of NYC, was to show the public how the military feeds Soldiers and \u201cspark inspiration\u201d to connect service members with culinary careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was great that we were able to showcase one of the ways the Army provides a hot meal for Soldiers in the field,\u201d said Sgt. Derrickar Codrington.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudging by the on lookers\u2019 reaction, I know that a lot more people were curious about how it\u2019s actually done,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The 1501st field feeding company was created by taking cooks who used to be assigned to different battalions and combining them into one unit.<\/p>\n

This provides more flexibility to feed Soldiers and is part of a major<\/p>\n

initiative by the Army to improve the effectiveness of the force.<\/p>\n

Sgt. 1st Class Jayln Rodriguez-Nicola, Staff Sgt. Leonor Jordan and Spc. Vilo Jacquez delivered the kitchen\u2019s components loaded aboard a Humvee and a trailer.<\/p>\n

Each component was carefully unloaded, meticulously cleaned, and set up by Codrington, along with Staff Sgt. Jodian Beckford, Specialists Norrisa Hernandez, Wesley Mercedes, and Sashanna Stephenson and Pfc. Shahiraar Khan.<\/p>\n

Their level of care and attentiveness to the sterility of equipment used to prepare food was noticed by the civilians watching them.<\/p>\n

Staff Sgt. David Selman, who led the unloading of the equipment, explained to visitors how the assault kitchen is set up in a tactical environment.<\/p>\n

The Soldiers might have to \u201cjump\u201d at any moment, Selman explained. This means moving the entire operation at a moment\u2019s notice and continue missions without interruption, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving individuals, both military and civilians alike, showing interest and asking questions about food service equipment we used was great. I got an opportunity to explain what we did and what we were capable of,\u201d Selman said.<\/p>\n

Six recruiters, led by Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Swartz, were also on hand to talk about Guard culinary careers to anyone interested.<\/p>\n

U.S. military personnel in town for Fleet Week\u2014New York City\u2019s annual celebration of the Navy and Coast Guard — also had a chance to learn firsthand about jobs open to them in the food service industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all branches of the Armed Forces come together to show their support, it shows strength and unity,” said Rodriguez-Nicola, the senior leader of the 1501st\u2019s festival team.<\/p>\n

A few steps away from the 1501st \u2018s kitchen, the Farina Pasta Bar food truck, in association with the Robert Irvine Foundation’s Food Truck Program, was open for business.<\/p>\n

The truck was there to demonstrate the possibilities for a veteran-owned independent business in the food sector, foundation spokespeople explained.<\/p>\n

Following the outdoor portion of the festival, Soldiers with the 1501st, alongside other specially invited service members and veterans moved indoors to Yondu Culinary Studios, a high-end cooking school.<\/p>\n

They got to watch as Chef Jaume Biarnes, a Spanish chef with over 25 years of experience, took standard military MREs and turned them in to restaurant style dishes.<\/p>\n

“We are so happy and honored to have the Navy and the National Guard here today for a cooking demo live during Fleet Week,\u201d Biarnes said.<\/p>\n

He wowed the audience by taking standard MREs and elevating them into impressive restaurant-style fajitas and desserts.<\/p>\n

Working meticulously at a prep station that looked like a cozy at-home kitchen, Biarnes utilized a sharp chef’s knife, and other equipment found<\/p>\n

in an Army kitchen, to prepare the seasoned MRE components.<\/p>\n

He used a stainless-steel pan heated on an induction cooktop, enhancing the flavors with fresh seasonings and a touch of Yondu-brand sauces.<\/p>\n

For elegant desserts, Biarnes incorporated elements from the MRE dessert components, including chocolate pudding, a recovery bar and marshmallow crisps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that the chef ate and studied MREs prior to meeting us was pretty awesome. He really did come prepared, and I loved that,\u201d Codrington said.<\/p>\n

He added raspberries and whipped up a light and airy mousse.<\/p>\n

He dispensed the mousse into a glass using a whipping siphon, showcasing a level of finesse rarely associated with field rations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis new creations with the MREs were very good, and I loved how he indulged, especially with the desserts,\u201d Codrington said.<\/p>\n

Throughout his demonstration, Biarnes emphasized fundamental techniques and the importance of flavor layering.<\/p>\n

“To have a world-renowned chef come and show us how to make an MRE taste and look better … that was the icing on the cake,” Rodriguez-Nicola said.<\/p>\n

“He did a great job. Thank you, Chef,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 New York National Guard Staff Sgts. Leonor Jordan and David Selman, both assigned to the 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding), unload the components of an assault kitchen from the back of a Humvee while participating in the Veterans Food Festival hosted by the South Street Seaport […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464069,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-464067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=464067"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":464075,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464067\/revisions\/464075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/464069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=464067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=464067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=464067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}