Washington – November 10, 2026 -- The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) recognized 36 units and individuals from seven military branches and components at the 2026 Military Foodservice Awards, and is pairing the honors with a push to move service members into restaurant careers.
Military foodservice teams prepare and serve billions of meals each year at home, on deployment and at sea, according to the Foundation. Winners came from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Military Sealift Command, Air Force, Air National Guard and Coast Guard. Judges rated them on food safety, sanitation, preparation and execution.
Seven award programs cover every branch from field kitchens to aircraft carriers
The Army's Philip A. Connelly Awards went to four units, including the 223rd Quartermaster Company of the 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the active field feeding category. The Marine Corps' Major General W.P.T. Hill Memorial Awards included Mess Hall 303 at Camp Lejeune and the III Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.
The Navy's Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards covered 11 categories. USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) won the aircraft carrier category, USS Makin Island (LHD 8) the large platform category, and USS Iowa (SSN 797) and USS Mississippi (SSN 782) the East and West Coast submarine categories. The Military Sealift Command's Captain David M. Cook award went to USNS Salvor, USNS Patuxent and USNS Richard E. Byrd across three ship sizes.
Air Force Hennessy winners included the 341 Force Support Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, for missile alert field feeding, and the 703 Munitions Support Squadron at Volkel Air Base, Netherlands, for small sites. The 162nd Wing's Desert Rose Dining Facility in Tucson, Arizona, took the Air National Guard's SMSgt Kenneth W. Disney award. The Coast Guard's Rednour Program honored USCGC Thetis, USCGC Oak and Sector San Francisco, among others, plus CS1 Homer Gavino and CS2 Alexus Fernandez as senior and junior culinary specialists of the year.
NRAEF's SkillBridge program places service members with industry in their final 180 days
The Foundation says it has supported the Armed Forces for more than seven decades. Its SkillBridge program, the only one in the restaurant industry, is run with the U.S. Department of War. It connects service members with training, apprenticeships or internships during their last 180 days of service.
In-service training includes the Advanced Culinary Training Program, offered with the Culinary Institute of America, and the Advanced Military Professional Educational Development initiative. Veterans can also enter the Restaurant Management Apprenticeship Program, which provides on-the-job training, or apply for scholarships for post-secondary study in restaurant and hospitality fields.
NRAEF Executive Director Dr. Monica Parrish Trent said the industry is stronger because of veterans and that the Foundation aims to open doors to the careers and leadership roles they have earned.