Thousands of meals are created and prepared every day in Marine Corp Facility kitchens. Working in the Marine Corps in food service is a challenging and engaging career. You could literally serve anywhere that the Marine Corps function, around the world. You can be utilized at a base cooking for thousands of soldiers, or you may be assigned to be a cook in the field, working at a forward patrol base or a regional facility. No matter where you cook, you will work to provide hot, nutritionally complete balanced diet food for hungry soldiers.
The Marine Corps Food Operations Specialist is the person that is responsible for service and preparation of food in the field, or at garrison food service type operations. Some of the duties you may have working in the food service field include setting up serving lined, applying food protection, and using healthy and sanitation based measures to keep food supplies safe. You may work using specific methods as prescribed by Marine regulations to prepare and serve food, and perform preliminary food preparation procedures. Acting as a Marine Corps food preparation specialist may involve you receiving and being responsible for the safe storage of subsistence items, as well as maintaining, operating, and cleaning all different types of garrison and field kitchen equipment. While working as a food preparation specialist in the Marine Corps you may be involved in daily maintenance and general housekeeping duties.
There are a lot of hungry mouths to feed working in the Marine Corps as a food preparation specialist. You will work with mixers, pots, utensils, stoves, ovens, as well as a variety of equipment in the field and on base to perform your food preparation duties. You will be responsible for preparing different types of meals, receiving ordering and inspecting meat, fruit and vegetables, and fish. You will work to use knives and bandsaws to prepare standard cuts of meat for cooking, and work to cook roasts, chops, steaks and other cuts of meat for service to Marines in the field and on base.
Training for this job specialty begins after Marine Boot Camp; you will attend school where you will receive hands on training on how to become an accomplished Marine Corps Food specialist. Your first duty station may very well be a large base where you will receive further mentoring and training, to prepare you to work in the field and cook for troops in combat situations.
