Base cooks showcase career sizzle at Camosun

Members of Naval Reserve Unit HMCS Malahat showcase the benefits of a career in the Royal Canadian Navy to students at Camosun College Interurban Campus.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer — For Master Sailor (MS) Ford Miller, a visit to the Camosun College in Saanich was nothing short of a homecoming. 

“We are here to showcase job opportunities and the advantages of a career in the Canadian Armed Forces,” MS Miller, a cook with HMC Submarine Corner Brook, said. “You can see the world, have an exciting career and still provide for your family, put food on the table and that is so important to many people in today’s economic climate.”

Dressed in full CADPAT uniforms, MS Miller and four other cooks from the Base Foods team, along with members from the Naval Reserve Unit HMCS Malahat, met with the Camosun College’s Culinary Arts program cooks and chefs on March 29.

MS Miller said his culinary career had come full circle with this visit. He graduated as a Level 1 Culinary Arts student from Camosun about eight years ago. He worked briefly in the restaurant industry in Victoria before joining the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

MS Miller admitted he had a slightly ‘surreal’ feeling being back on campus for the first time. He says it was also a proud moment to address the students and faculty at his alma mater.

The team delivered a 20-minute presentation to approximately 30 students and faculty. They explained the perks of working as culinary staff in the Royal Canadian Navy, which include job stability, signing bonuses, competitive salary, full benefits, and a chance to see the world, among many others. The team also showcased its Mobile Kitchen Trailer (MKT) towed by a Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) military truck.

The outreach is part of a solution to address the personnel shortage across CAF, says Petty Officer First Class (PO1) David Manryk, Galley Manager of Nelles Block.

“The MKT is a good thing for us to show off, especially if we want to draw people into our trade,” PO1 Manryk said.

The MKT has been the backbone of serving fresh, hot food to tired and hungry soldiers for 30 years, whether on domestic operations or deployments in foreign countries. It’s features include two ovens, four burners, a steam line to store food in large-sized hotel pans and a sizeable flat-top cooking surface, refrigerators and storage space. It is designed to feed groups of up to 150 personnel.

David Lang, Camosun College Culinary Arts Chair, says discussions with Base Foods to bring the MKT and their staff to the college began in early March. He was impressed with how things went.

“I really believe the Canadian Armed Forces is an underexposed opportunity for many of our students who might not look at the military or realize there is money or stability offered,” he said. “The trade’s opportunities including professional cooking are massive so if it turns out that is suits two or three of our students then it’s a win-win situation for Camosun and CFB Esquimalt.”