When you start work at 5 a.m. in the morning and don’t stop until 6 p.m.800 it helps to have motivation.

“And a little coffee doesn’t hurt either,” said 1st Class Culinary Specialist Allyson Page.

Page, who is 32 and a 14-year veteran, says that as a watch provider for NAS Whidbey Island, her job is to provide personnel in the galley keep track of galley equipment and maintain a sanitary environment.

“Keeping in a good mood is key,” said Page. In fact she says she likes providing customer service.

“Luckily, I’m not one who gets in bad moods,” she said.

When she joined the Navy, Page told the recruiter she would like to be an airline attendant someday and he recommended culinary specialist. The hospitality aspect of the CS rating finally drew her to it.

In her 14 years Page has served in Sigonella, Italy, aboard the USS Harpers Ferry (LSD49), at Navy Medical Center, San Diego and on the USS Ronald Reagan CVN 76. Now, sheís here.

The Admiral Nimitz galley serves about 900 meals a day with a staff of 25-30 people.

Working long days means you need a lot of stamina - and good footwear.

“You’re on you feet a lot of the time so you need good foot health,” she said, showing off low-cut boots that looked well-padded and sturdy. “I wear the best boots I can get.”

Physical strength is also important as boxes have large, heavy cans in them and getting them up on a shelf requires a little brawn.

“But I get the younger guys to help with the heavy lifting,” she admitted.

More importantly, working at the galley is about knowing all parts of the galley.

Page has been a cook on watch and a watch captain, done scullery work, been a mess deck master-at-arms and learned how to bake, boil, grill, fry and deep fry.

She says the things she notices can be a simple as a new person cooking eggs.

“Things like somebody slapping eggs around on a grill or not using a spatula on scrambled eggs,” she said. “There can always be an easier, better or more presentable way.”

Page is proud to share her galley favorites like lasagna, tacos, steak and salmon with her customers, feeding good food to the men and women who serve our country.