Ristorante Bella Etna - 2020 Year in Review

RISTORANTE BELLA ETNA GALLEY

Many have called 2020 a “curse” and are already anxious for 2021 to start, and we really can’t blame them. We acknowledge that this year has posed significant global challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, as our Bella Etna team looks back on the events that have shaped the past twelve months, we won’t dwell on the trials we faced. Instead, we are focusing on how we rose to the occasion.

The year started very fruitfully when the Secretary of the Navy announced that Ristorante Bella Etna was selected for the 2020 Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial award for having the best ashore food service operation in the Navy for the third consecutive year. This was followed by another notable achievement as our very own Signore Agatino Grasso was selected as NAS Sigonella’s Junior Civilian Employee of the Year.

We are all aware of what happened in March when COVID-19 was officially declared a worldwide pandemic. It impacted our way of lives as the entire country of Italy, the base, and all food service facilities was put on lockdown, but Ristorante Bella Etna has remained operational and open. With the galley’s dedicated staff and crew, the team was able to seamlessly feed our warfighters in order to continue to provide critical support our nation’s, NATO allies’, and partner nation’s mission.

The Ristorante Bella Etna team, consisting of local national employees and military personnel, innovated and blazed the trail of implementing effective science-based COVID-19 mitigation measures. The NASSIG galley was one of the first galleys not only in the region but across the Navy to utilize social distancing, require facemasks, and strictly enforce the hand washing requirement for all patrons. We saw our services reduced from almost 300 seating capacity to 52, and down again to 27, and we finally shifted to take-out meals only. During this time, the galley still averaged 700 customers a day. From April to mid-June, Ristorante Bella Etna was the only food service establishment that safely remained open to provide meals to service members within the NASSIG community.

While shifting to a unique feeding situation, the galley team supported a rigorous turnover between troops from Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAG-TF) and Sailors from four Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadrons. With restricted movement in effect, the galley team prepared hundreds of boxed meals daily for the quarantined personnel while maintaining a galley take-out operation. To date, the galley personnel prepared over 317,000 meals, with 51,000 of those meals being delivered to personnel in a Restriction of Movement (ROM) status.

April was our busiest and most memorable month as Bella Etna saw our former Food Service Officer Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jonathan Delacruz promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 5 and successfully turned over the operations to another brilliant leader in the food service field, CWO4 Rolando Abad. Abad joined us after completing a successful yet rigorous tour aboard the forward deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. It was a flawless transition which allowed us to reopen the Mess Hall with socially-distanced seating in June. During this time, the galley also went through Commander Naval Installation (CNIC) Five Star Accreditation inspection and received the highest accreditation grade in EURAFECENT region, ultimately resulting in galley nomination as the NEY award finalist for the forthcoming year’s final evaluation.

Despite the ever changing guidelines from the local government, CDC and the Navy, Ristorante Bella Etna expertly balanced and implemented the safety measures to also serve numerous special themed meals to include the Navy birthday meal and the most recent Thanksgiving feast. In the process, the galley also successfully hosted numerous luncheons for VIPs and dignitaries including Adm. Robert Burke, commander, Naval Forces Europe-Africa; Rear Adm. Scott Gray, commander, Navy Region Europe Africa Central; and Maj. Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa to name a few. A very tall order indeed, but our team proved over and over again that we were ready to handle any challenge.

Maintaining a culture of excellence and providing consistent “five-star” quality service has always been the top goal of Ristorante Bella Etna every year, and the team never came short of this goal in 2020. On September, after months of waiting due to the delay of the E8/E9 advancement board results, Ristorante Bella Etna received more good news. Our leading culinary specialist, Chief Marco F. Guevarra, was advanced to the rank of senior chief petty officer, a very well deserved promotion for our offgoing departmental deck-plate leader.

Only a month later, the galley team once again competed for this year NEY final assessment and submitted our package to CNIC and NAVSUP for its final evaluation. The results are still pending, but the team is in high spirits and confident that it will be another successful year for the “famiglia” to maintain the title and well on track to set a record in Naval history as the Navy’s first food service operation to receive a NEY award for four consecutive years.

“To us, winning the award is just a bonus. Keeping our patrons and service members well fed and happy is our main concern,” said Domenico “Mimmo” Strano, our well-loved galley manager.

This positive attitude and way of thinking is one of the reasons why he was also selected as the first civilian “Bravo Strike” awardee for promoting “Signature Behaviors” in the COMNAVEURAFCENT region, an award given by Adm. Robert Burke during a virtual award ceremony with NAS Sigonella’s command triad. His genuine concern and valiant efforts to maintain Sigonella community’s morale proved worthy of the recognition.

Continuing the list of positive things for 2020, our supply manager and government purchase cardholder, LSSN Phillip Jaurequi was selected as the Blue Jacket of the Year, proving his win for the 2nd quarter BJOQ was not just luck but sheer consistency and greatness as a Sailor.

“I couldn’t have done this alone. Thank you to my Bella Etna Family!” he said after learning of his selection.

Capping off the year, our Storeroom Foreman and Manager (Jack of the Dust) Sergio Spampinato was selected as NASSIG’s Civilian Employee of the Quarter, an achievement and testament for his efforts in ensuring our food supplies and provisions were on adequate levels despite the logistical challenges caused by the pandemic.

“I didn’t expect this, but I appreciate my team recognizing my efforts. This is why I love being a membri della famiglia!” Sergio said.

Famiglia indeed is how we treat each other at the “Ristorante,” and somehow we made 2020 a little bit easier for each other; truly there is strength in numbers. This year alone, our entire galley team received 111 letters of recognitions and appreciations from the command, in addition to our LN staff’s Years of Service awards for their continued efforts, consistency, courage and dedication to perform to perfection. “I am blessed to be the food service officer of this awesome group, a well-oiled machine with efficiency and excellence in mind during its daily operation” a very thankful CWO4 Abad said.

Year 2020 wasn’t that bad after all because we know we have each other during these trying times. We lifted each other up and we pulled through! That’s what the Ristorante Bella Etna “FAMIGLIA” is all about.