Naval Station Rota, Spain's Gateway Galley earned five-star accreditation for food service excellence, Nov. 2.

Vice Adm. Dixon Smith, commander, Navy Installations Commander (CNIC), and Rear Adm. Rick Williamson, commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA), congratulated the galley staff on the achievement during a visit to Rota.

"You are more than deserving of this award because of what you do to take care of our Sailors here in Rota," said Smith. "You ought to be very proud of the five-star accreditation, but even more proud because the folks I talked to about this galley had nothing but praise for what you do to support them every day."

The five-star accreditation for Navy food service excellence is the highest level in Navy food service evaluation and is a prerequisite for the Capt. Edward F. Ney Award, which recognizes the best general messes in the Navy, both afloat and ashore. The accreditation is based on the Ney Ashore Accreditation Review Team's on-site evaluation of strict criteria regarding the overall quality of food service, including records inventory practices, training, sanitation, and food preparation. To achieve the five-star accreditation, a facility needs to receive at least 790 points out of a possible 820. Once a five-star accreditation is awarded, the facility will retain the rating for one year.

"Your galley team members exceeded established standards in all areas of daily operations, customer service, food service management, safety, and sanitation," said Smith. "This food service team defines the future of Navy food service and represents the best of Navy installation management. I'm confident that your culinary team will continue to meet the highest operational standards, while providing exceptional daily customer service to our Sailors."

The Gateway Galley serves up more than 25,000 meals each month, and Chief Petty Officer Christopher Lizzio, Gateway Galley leading chief petty officer, explains the importance of the recognition and how his 50-person team strives for success every day.

"This is a big achievement for us, and is a big deal for galley operations ashore," said Lizzio. "Every day, we go by our extensive checklist that has a lot of requirements from cleaning, to prepping, to other general standards. The galley is a lot more than just what customers see going through the serving line. I have great staff members, and when we're all working together as a team it's evident to our customers."

Lizzio said the galley's everyday mission is to provide food service support to the base. By the five-star accreditation, it's clear they excel in accomplishing their mission.

"We're here for all the Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Soldiers, and family members ... anyone who comes through this base," said Lizzio. "Customer service is very important to us and we want to continue maintaining it at a very high level."

The secretary of the Navy and International Food Service Executives Association established the Ney Award in 1958. The annual award encourages excellence in Navy food service programs with the objective of improving the quality of life for service members.

Gateway Galley customers who would like to voice their appreciation or recommendations can use the suggestion box located by the cash register at the galley's entrance.

Naval Station Rota enables and supports operations of U.S. and allied forces and provides quality services in support of the fleet, fighter, and family for CNIC in Navy Region EURAFSWA.

Just as a ship performs lines of operation that provide a capability, Navy Region EURAFSWA bases perform the same eight lines of operation to provide capability to the fleet and joint and allied forces. These eight lines of operation are air operations; port operations; safety; security; Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR); Fleet and Family Service; and what is called the core -- the fuels, water, and power that keep the bases running. Through our lines of operation, our installations are force multipliers that maximize the combat capability of operational units.

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For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit http://www.navy.mil/.