Naval Station Newport, RI – In a message from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Wednesday, Naval Station Newport’s Ney Hall Galley was named the best East Coast General Mess among Commander, Navy Installations Command facilities for Fiscal Year 2023.

The installation galley, which is named for Capt. Edward F. Ney, and for whom the annual awards are named, was among seven Navy recipients representing undersea, surface warfare, naval aviation and shore-based facilities to be recognized for excellence in food service.

“Naval Station Newport is a Navy center of excellence,” said Janet Lamb, food services officer at the galley and a retired Navy supply corps officer. “Nothing has a more positive impact on the personnel we serve than the top-notch meals we turn out. Meeting this objective, in spite of some of the challenges we face, is the daily reward our team gets. Formally being recognized with the Ney Award is proof that our training, our focus and our commitment to uphold the highest standards of excellence is among the very best in the Navy.”
 
The Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award Program was established in 1958 by the Secretary of the Navy to recognize afloat and ashore general messes that demonstrate excellence in food service. Named in honor of the late Capt. Edward Francis Ney, Supply Corps, United States Navy, this awards program represents the pinnacle of Navy food service success. It promotes friendly competition among units, instills pride in accomplishment, and spreads esprit de corps throughout the Navy. Ney had served as the Navy’s head of the Subsistence Division of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts from 1940 to 1945.

“The Ney Hall Galley team of military and civilian culinarians and our partners from Global Connections to Employment work extremely hard each and every day,” stated Culinary Specialist Senior Chief Rob Pare, department leading chief petty officer. “Our team’s primary focus is simple -- Think Ney every day!”

In order to compete for the Ney Awards, Navy galleys must earn a five-star rating from a Navy evaluation team through a rigid inspection and audit process. Only then do galleys have the chance to compete for the top awards which has its own, separate inspection and evaluation process.

The Ney Hall Galley serves nearly 3,000 meals each day, providing quality meals and nutrition to more than 1,200 military students, military staff and authorized patrons at the installation.

“Winning the Ney Award is affirmation that we are not only providing a vital service to all the commands at the installation, but we are excelling at it,” noted Culinary Specialist Chief Anthony Henry, leading culinary specialist at the galley. “When you think of how critical it is to fuel the minds and bodies of our force, it brings me great pride to know this team is one of the very best in the Navy.”

Naval Station Newport is home to the Navy Supply Corps School which prepares Navy officers and logistics professionals like Capt. Ney for service in supply-centric areas. Newport is also home to the Center for Service Support which is tasked with delivering training and professional development to not only the Supply Corps officers, but also Navy enlisted culinary specialists, like those assigned to the Ney Hall Galley here.