Something’s cooking in Perth
Around midnight, HMAS Perth comes alive as the ship’s company swap places with each other.
As one person goes to the gym, to eat or to sleep, the other takes up their position on watch.
Two people who aren’t busy swapping are ABML-C Valentine Mugabe and ABML-C Brian Hammond, who would have been on duty for a few hours already.
Their day ends at six o’clock in the morning. They are the night chefs.
One particular night, AB Mugabe whipped up a huge batch of blondies, slices of white chocolate with sultanas.
In the oven were peanut butter brownies, and the ingredients for sticky date muffins waiting to be mixed together on the bench.
“Duff [dessert] isn’t my strong suit, as I don’t tend to follow a recipe and there’s a lot more measurement and precision, while I prefer meats and salads because I like to experiment, but I’m getting there,” AB Mugabe said.
'In the Navy, food is not just for sustenance – it’s also a morale booster.'
'Midnighters' is the meal for the watch keepers who miss lunch or dinner due to their unusual sleep schedules. A classic halal snack pack is a crowd favourite.
“For us chefs, we never have the same day, and night cheffing is pretty chill, but it’s all about getting the job done,” AB Mugabe said.
For the chefs, this isn’t their first culinary rodeo.
“We’ve both been on LHDs, with a crew of about 460 people, there’s usually four serving lines going all at once. Perth’s a breeze,” AB Hammond said.
In the Navy, food is not just for sustenance – it’s also a morale booster.
“Cooking isn’t only a way of showing our creativity, but knowing a meal can be the highlight of someone’s day is a huge motivation,” AB Hammond said.
With multiple breakfast options and fresh pastries, three meal choices a day, salads at lunch and four dessert options a night, the ship’s crew know they’re spoilt for choice.
'Sometimes training takes us out of the galley for a few hours, but because we work as a team and have solid plans, someone else can take over and we get the meals out, no matter what.'
But the chefs don’t just cook and clean all day, they’re also an integral part of ship’s company, especially in emergencies.
Each chef holds additional duties when the ship needs extra bodies for events like refuelling, lowering the anchor, medical emergencies, firefighting and other emergencies.
“We’ve got one of every kind of auxiliary role and two of us are flight deck qualified as well which means if they need us, we can be out there hooking the chains on the helo at short notice,” AB Hammond said.
“Sometimes training takes us out of the galley for a few hours, but because we work as a team and have solid plans, someone else can take over and we get the meals out, no matter what,” AB Mugabe said.
While cooking on a 24/7 roster at sea, once alongside, the chefs enjoy a break from the galley, giving them a well-deserved respite and opportunity to explore the local cuisine with the rest of the crew.
For current day chef, ABML-C Roshan Shiwakoti, though he was a chef for a decade outside of Defence, cooking for the Navy has been an experience that doesn’t compare to his civilian life.
“When I was working at a catering kitchen near HMAS Penguin, I never thought in a few years that I’d be part of the Navy, putting to use both my skills in fine dining and bulk meals,” AB Shiwakoti said.
“I’ve enjoyed our regional presence deployment, my favourite part has been trying the different international foods at our port visits and baking the cake to commemorate Perth’s 20 years since commissioning.”
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