THE SUSTAINER | ARTICLE
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The RLC Chef Ethos Project
By WO1 Ashley Johnson, DCWO 6th (UK) Division The RLC Chef is the only soldier who has three deadlines every day, to ensure mission success is achieved. This statement might raise an eyebrow but being an RLC chef is a tough business. The famous Napoleon quote: “An Army marches on its stomach,” has stood the test of time because of what food offers. Good food gives more than the nutrients needed to maintain life. It transports us to our childhood through smells and flavours, it offers a space for us to laugh and build relationships and above all it gives us respite when we are having a tough day. Chefs are positioned throughout the Army, bouncing from unit to unit, working in small teams and having to adapt quickly to the nuances of these different groups. Because of this, our identity and belonging has become muddled, nevertheless our passion and pride remains the same. Developing an ethos, is like delving into your soul. Understanding what motivates us to do our job and what we expect from those in our ranks is a reflective process. ‘Why am I happy cooking on a BBQ, whilst everyone else is playing volleyball? What motivates me to smile at silly o’clock, when I am serving a breakfast to soldiers in the rain?’ The answer is pride, knowing that the soldiers I am feeding are happy and appreciative of my work. Also, a more potent point is duty. ‘ I understand that the 38
Sgt Rhys Pandeles, RLC Chef, 1 Scots Guards: “RLC Chefs lead by example, its hard graft but everything we do has pride and passion. We are brilliant at developing and mentoring our future and we are dedicated to providing the best we can.”
SSgt Kerry Bale, RLC Chef, Garrison Management Team, HQ Tidworth Netheravon and Bulford Garrison: “We are part of a family that has a shared determination and purpose to enhance the lived experience of our fellow soldiers. We do this with passion, pride and creativity. We always try to provide the highest level of nutrition and contributing to morale, regardless of the challenges we face.” breakfast might be the last that solider eats, so I need to make sure it’s my best.’ In January, the trade set up a working group with the aim to understand what it is to be an RLC Chef and then deliver a tangible output that unites our values and gives us a common purpose, using the RLC strategy as a handrail. We needed to build the team from the bottom up and dispose of barriers such as rank, so that we had parity. Ultimately, rank holds the assumption that the one with the
biggest badge has the best idea and the final say. In fact, this change will affect every member of the trade and it was essential to make sure that every member had an equal voice. Ideas flowed and the group identified outputs that could deliver the aim; a trade mission and vision and an ethos statement. By having a joint mission and vision we are strategically focused as a trade in what we are currently delivering and how we can move forward collectively. Our ethos
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