AUXCAs Take Over the Eagle & Station New London Galleys
Thomas R . Violante , AUXPA1 , AUXCA1-IT
RECENTLY in New London , Connecticut , the Auxiliary Culinary Assistance program took over the galleys at both USCG Station New London and the USCG Cu�er Eagle to train and certify candidates for the Auxiliary Culinary Assistance Specialist ( AUXCA ) and Auxiliary Culinary Assistance Specialist Instructor ( AUXCA1- IT ) designations for assignment to Coast Guard galleys in the eastern states from Maine to Florida .
Richard Mihalcik , AUXCA1-IT and ADSO-SPECOPS , organizer of the AUXCA training on the Eagle , said that 75 members applied for training and the program could only accommodate 35 members . The training took place during the weekend of April 23 to 24 .
“ As far as I ’ m aware , this is the first time in the 83-year history of the Auxiliary that the Auxiliary has held large-scale training aboard the Eagle , in conjunction with the Station New London ,” Mihalcik said . “ This training also included Coasties assigned to the Eagle and Station New London .”
A�endees had to check in to the training between 5:30 p . m . and 7:00 p . m . on Friday April 22 , followed by a briefing . The full AUXCA curriculum was taught , along with the complete sanitation course . Candidates split into 2 groups and rotated back and forth between the Eagle and Station New London , adjacent to the Eagle ' s berth . On Saturday morning , the Coast Guard CSs , who are assigned to both the Eagle and Station New London and have taught at the Coast Guard ' s Culinary Specialist " C " School , ran a mini – Culinary Specialist " C " School for the trainees on Saturday .
AUXCA " instructor trainees " were required to prepare the meals alongside the AUXCA trainees at both the Eagle and Station New London . All candidates took turns cooking on both the Eagle and at Station New London . A total of five instructor trainees and four certified instructors took part . Uniforms of the day were ODU with black combat boots and USCG Auxiliary covers .
Anne Duhaime ( Guilford Flotilla ) was one of the 35 trainees who a�ended the twoday program , the first of its kind in the Auxiliary Culinary Assistance program .
She joined the Auxiliary in 1976 after she took a safe boating class and seamanship course . She encouraged husband , Chris , to join in 1980 . They were in the boating industry at the time and interacted with boaters all the time so it was a perfect fit for them .
What made her decide to try her hand at being a culinary assistant ?
“ I finally retired and had time to pursue things I ’ m interested in ,” she said . “ I always had a great deal of interest in food .
We have a community garden at my church that I ’ m in charge of . I work in the church food pantry and have worked at Columbus House in New Haven . This is just a natural extension of that — to go out and work with food in a different place and keep people fed . It ’ s what you have to do to keep people going .”
She thought the culinary assistance course taught on the Eagle was interesting , “ especially with the ability to work with different people from different places , listen to all the conversations about all the different kinds of foods they prepare by the people who currently are AUXCAs and also get a chance to work in at least two different galleys . That was special .”
She spent nights in a crew berth on the Eagle . “ They are tiny ,” she said . “ Especially when the person in the other berth sets the alarm on her phone and they ’ re off in the head and not there to turn it off . You ’ re treated to five minutes of their alarm ! Ah , it ’ s fun !”
She said that after AUXCAs cooked food for those in a�endance , including the galley crew , they sat down and ate what they cooked .
“ It was very good . There were a few things that I would have done differently but that ’ s part of working with other people to see what they do and what they cook .”
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