Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) competed for the title of Lincoln's top chef during an inaugural Lincoln Culinary Competition on Lincoln's Floating Accommodation Facility mess decks, March 26.

The competition required Sailors to showcase a dish of their choice to be prepped, cooked, served and consumed by a panel of judges consisting of their peers and Lincoln's senior leadership.

"I'm always happy to just give it my all and keep it simple in the process," said Culinary Specialist Seaman Anthony Scott-McNeil, a competitor in the competition.

Another competitor said he was inspired by memories from his past.

"Cooking has been a passion of mine. Since I was young, I cooked for my brothers and sisters and it's just something I've always loved to do," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Ryan Armstead, who recently transitioned from culinary specialist to navy counselor.

After entering the competition, Armstead decided to tie back into the history of the ship's namesake for his presentation.

"I decided to cook chicken fricassee because it's a meal that [President Abraham] Lincoln enjoyed to eat," Armstead said. "It's a very modest and humble dish that I think speaks volumes about how Lincoln was raised and how he viewed people."

As the competition heated up, one of the judges and graduate of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Chief Legalman Myron Chism, kept his eyes roaming for who would take the title of top chef.

"You eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth, making the most of what's on the plate is important," Chism said.

After the dishes were served, all the scoring from the judges were tallied and many delicious meals consumed, a victor was named.

Culinary Specialist 1st Class James Parrott took the title for the competition. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to compete against some of the Navy's finest cooks.

"I think we all did amazing today, and I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did," Parrott said. "Nothing was sure going into this but I'm glad that we all got to show our talents."

Growing up Parrott said his father was a chef. Although he didn't want to cook at the time, he realized as he grew up it's something that he loved to do.

"Once I got older I knew what I wanted to do, and I'm here doing it today," Parrott said. "I came into the Navy to cook, and I love doing it every day."

While Parrot currently holds the title for top chef on board USS Abraham Lincoln, he will also appear on the Hampton Roads Show in April to cook one of his signature dishes.

Lincoln is currently undergoing refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries. Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz class to undergo an RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone.

Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation's defense.


For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), visit www.navy.mil/.