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Thanksgiving In June

Twenty years ago, a 19-year-old kid from East Haven was going to college and quickly learned this lesson: college wasn’t for him. He wanted more structure. His dad, seeing that, took him to an open house at the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Sector Long Island Sound on Woodward Avenue in New Haven, just over the East Haven town line.

That kid, Rob Alongi, wasn’t sure what he would get out of the open house, but he went. And he saw people motivated by their mission, camaraderie, and a climate of respect. He signed up, fell in love with what he was doing, and stuck with it. His job provided a variety of adventures around the world, on the high seas and in various ports, ranging from the Caribbean to the North End in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was for a while based.

Then, he saw a job opening back in New Haven, applied, and became a chief warrant officer, finance and supply division chief. He moved his family back to his hometown, bought the house where he grew up, which is about a mile and a half from the station, and settled into his new job helping to keep Long Island Sound safe. Among the responsibilities of those who work at Sector Long Island Sound are search and rescue operations, law enforcement, domestic ice breaking, maintenance of aids to navigation, port safety and security, marine environmental protection, waterways management, marine inspection, and casualty investigation.

Part of Alongi’s mission is helping to create the conditions for the Coast Guard to succeed when it comes to all of that and more. And, when all of that is done, he helps make sure that the people helping to keep Long Island Sound safe can sit down with each other over a healthy, hearty, and delicious breakfast and lunch, all for a reasonable price. In this case, his job is not to cook, but to make sure everyone in the kitchen has what they need–from commercial ovens and griddles to the right kind of fresh food in the correct amounts–so the chefs and cooks can do their job.

Grabbing Them By The Nose

On a recent Friday in June, shortly after 5:30 a.m., a delicious smell starts to waft out two huge black Traeger Timberline smokers on the small patio just outside the galley kitchen at Sector Long Island Sound. Already that week, Chief Culinary Specialist Chris Mckinley, who lives in Cheshire–working with Culinary Specialist Cameron Whyte, who lives in Hamden–has served up fried chicken sandwiches, Vietnamese shaking beef, a Kalua pork roast. Now it’s Friday and it’s time for Thanksgiving.

That delicious smell coming from the smokers is from the turkey. It’s clear that this is not your grandma’s boring old turkey. Mckinley, a Texas native, explains they have been injected with, and many times basted in, butter mixed with one of his special ingredients, Tony Chachere’s “Great On Everything” Original Creole Seasoning. Alongi and Mckinley say their goal is to have the turkey appeal to every one of the senses. Not only will it taste great, but it has a gorgeous deep brown hue from the crackling crispy smoked skin, and the smell as it cooks travels out of the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door, pulls people in from the parking lot by their noses.

But why Thanksgiving in June? While the holiday and this meal are not typically celebrated in the spring, it’s one of the very most favorite meals of the woman in charge, Captain Eva J. Van Camp, the sector commander, captain of the port, and federal maritime security coordinator.

Van Camp graduated from the highly competitive United States Coast Guard Academy with a degree in Marine and Environmental Science and as a command officer she coordinated law enforcement and search and rescue missions in one of the country’s busiest area of responsibility. She synchronized the contingency response for the Deepwater Horizon Spill, the largest man-made environmental disaster in the history of the United States. In her spare time, she picked up a couple of master’s degrees, including one in National Security Strategy from the U.S. National War College in 2020, and topped that off with a certification from the U.S. Air Force Air University. Married, with two kids, she’s also received a slew of awards and commendations for meritorious service and various achievements.

Along with her many other talents and abilities, Van Camp, who lives in Madison, is no slouch when it comes to cooking. Not too long ago she took the helm in the kitchen and, working with her senior leadership team cooked for her crew, turning out bulgogi, a Korean barbecue beef dish, along with The Captain’s Famous Fried Rice, and Szechuan green beans. But on this day, as with most other days, she’s content to leave the cooking to the experts and today the crew in the kitchen is making for her, and anyone else who wants lunch, that smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted green beans, Italian sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a dessert variously known as magic bars, or 7-layer bars, or Hello Dolly bars.

Later this month, there will be a change of command at Sector Long Island Sound. Van Camp will hand the leadership baton off to Captain Elisa Garrity. Van Camp will transfer to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, where she will serve as the assistant superintendent. The Change of Command ceremony is coming up soon on June 21, and so she is being treated on this day to one of her favorite meals.

There is another reason for this special meal, and for all of the other special meals. These special meals draw from a variety of ethnic groups and cultures, designed to help advance an understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. They also are centered around celebrations, including an Easter feast, a St. Patrick’s Day meal, and a Superbowl-themed menu. A recent smoked meat day was, no doubt, in part a celebration of those relatively new huge black Traeger Timberline smokers.

The meals, says Alongi, not only help keep up morale, but they have, along with other improvements he’s overseen, resulted in a 43 percent rise in patrons.

Alongi points out the other improvements he’s made as we walk through the messroom on our way to the kitchen. There’s a new credit card machine, an immensely popular new ice cream freezer, there’s a new griddle, ordered when Alongi saw it was taking too long to cook eggs on the old griddle, and a popcorn machine. The smell of the popcorn often draws people in to the messroom, for the enlisted, and the nearby wardroom, which is reserved for officers.

Van Camp says she tries, when eating at work, not to always talk about work.

“We’re trying to foster pride in the unit and a kind of family atmosphere,” she says. “Sometimes we make it a rule not to talk about work, so we can learn about the people we work with and their families, and what’s happening in town.”

Just outside the messroom, Alongi also made improvements to the patio so that people can go outside and eat when the weather is nice.

As he gives the tour, it’s hard to stay focused. That turkey just smells so good.

“That’s the best smell of all,” says Alongi. “The smell of Thanksgiving. It makes you think of when you all come together.”

A Good Move

In addition to Chief Culinary Specialist Mckinley and Culinary Specialist Whyte, in the kitchen today are two Coast Guard Auxiliary members, Tom Violante, who lives in New Haven, and Timothy Mulherin, a retired Orange firefighter who now lives in Woodbridge.

Alongi says the Coast Guard is immensely grateful for the auxiliary members, volunteers who step in to take on a wide range of general responsibilities so that Coast Guard members can focus on their specific responsibilities.

As the clock ticks toward noon and the turkey comes out of the smoker, Mckinley starts to carve it up. Violante, Mulherin, and Whyte finish up the sides and dessert. Violante explains that he helps in the kitchen, not just here in New Haven, but also in New London and at the Admiral’s House in the Coast Guard Academy grounds. He and other auxiliary members also sometimes cook on the Coast Guard cutters, during cruises that can last for up to four days.

“The Coast Guard is short staffed when it comes to active duty cooks, so we love having these guys here,” Alongi says of the auxiliary members. He adds that the Coast Guard is hiring and that it’s a great way to learn culinary skills, because those who are hired attend culinary school, where they can earn professional certifications. “There’s a whole school in California.”

Violante, who is retired from a career in public relations, adds, “If I was young again, I’d jump right into that. Also, they offer a good bonus.” Whyte agrees that learning how to cook with the Coast Guard is a good move. Whyte came to this career in part because he’s always loved to cook ever since he was a young kid cooking for his father. “He would work all day, so I’d cook him breakfast so we would have time together. I made him maple infused pancakes, over-easy eggs, bacon.”

I need to know more about these maple infused pancakes. Whyte explains that you thrown down the pancake batter first and wait for those little bubbles on the top side of the cooking pancake, then you throw down about four to five tablespoons of syrup, then flip the pancake over into the syrup. “It caramelizes and soaks into the middle of the pancake. You get a nice gooey pancake.

Pretty soon, he’s cutting up the Hello Dolly bars and putting the finishing touches on the gravy. The roasted green beans come out of the oven, and the stuffing, made with sourdough bread and Italian sausage is ready to go. Next to the stuffing is mashed potatoes, cooked then mashed with the skin on, salt and pepper, cream, and fresh minced garlic.

Lunch is just about to start, but Mulherin, as he takes his place to help serve up the meal, is already looking forward to something that happens at the end of the meal. “The best thing is, when all the people come back through the line to take their dishes to the dishwasher, they stop and say how great it is.”

“This is where the magic happens,” adds Violante.

Recipes From Thanksgiving In June at U.S. Coast Guard Station New Haven

Magic Layer Bars

Ingredients:

Crust

Filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Process or crush graham crackers to create crumbs

Toss graham crackers crumbs into melted butter and mix evenly

Loosely press mixture into bottom of pan (not tightly)

Evenly spread crushed nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut over crust

Pour sweetened condensed milk over the whole bar

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown

Let bars rest for half an hour or so and cool before cutting

Italian Sausage Dressing

To make croutons:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Toss diced sourdough in olive oil and seasoning

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway until golden brown

Saute sausage, celery, onions, and mushrooms

When both are complete, toss toasted bread with the sausage and vegetable to mix

Season with sage, garlic, pepper, and parsley

Add chicken stock and stire to combine. If it seems dry, add more as needed.

Bake in pan for 30 minutes

Adjust seasonings to taste