MWO Michael Mihalus, CD2 (ret'd)
See below for the story behind the photo!
First Name Michael Last Name Mihalus Rank, or rank last held MWO Serving or Retired / Year Retired Retired from Regular Forces in 1996 as WO Regular or Reserve Forces & Element Currently Army Reserve Year Enrolled & # of Years Served 1969 / 26 Regular going on 4 in Reserves E-mail address's Home/Work
Current Posting if serving LFCA / JTF Central (New Canada Command) Current Position if serving or last position held Medals, Honours & Awards CD 2, UNDOF 2, UNCYP, NATO
Home address 40 Sandy Lane Angus, Ontario Home phone / Cell phone #'s 705-424-9647 / Cell 705 790-2497 Work phone # 416 633-6200 ex 2959 Web Page / Site
Family Information
Spouse / Partner Helen, Married 35 years Children's names & ages Christopher 32, Mark 27
If retired, what are doing currently doing? Army Reserve
History of Service / Bio
CFB Winnipeg ,with Flech & Squirrel Deeley
Cooks School twice (Germany Fd Amb , $ Svc Bn & HQ & Sigs)
CFB Borden
Was in Norway
In Churchill with Walmsley, didn't stay later.
In Borden, Will Mckinnon almost blew up his house.
Other Comments / Suggestions / Favourite Links
Good to see some of the old guys are still kicking. Frank Davies was just at our place for a visit. Lorrette Badard droped in but we missed her. Seen John Pembelton Last, Dan Gallant Gerry Cyr this past fall. The story behind the photo, an article produced for CIACA, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Culinary Arts, in promoting Army & Army Reserve.
| By Major Tony Keene
“An army marches on
its stomach.”
Napoleon To most people working in Denison Armoury, the ground floor cafeteria is just that, a place to grab a coffee, and maybe have lunch in the midst of a busy working day. But it is much, much more. It is also a miniature training school, where Army Reserve cooks gain valuable skills that enable them to work at “the sharp end”, on operations in Afghanistan, the Golan Heights, and all over Canada. “Our graduates are working now with Joint Task Force 2, with the Rangers in Geraldton, on operations in the Middle East, and many other places,” says Master Warrant Officer Mike Mihalus, Chief Cook for 32 Canadian Brigade Group and director of the training kitchen..
“The program has proven its worth, that’s for sure. Now we are really giving value back.”
When the new armoury opened, the cafeteria was run by a civilian fast-food chain, which provided sandwiches and drinks. The kitchen was build for training After qualifying as cooks at the Canadian Forces School of Administration and Logistics at Borden, they had few chances for continual supervision and training. Reserve cooks, were finding it hard to get the continual training they needed for advanced employment and promotion within their trade.
It was the 32 Brigade G4 Supply Officer, Major Reid Campbell, who pushed for the training potential to be in a kitchen run by the Army itself, and in 2002, when the civilian contract ran out, 32 Brigade stepped in. MWO Mihalus set up shop and planned the start up then after hiring a team of civilian and military personnel, they were given authority began accepting Reserve cooks for six months of full-time training in which has become as the LFCA Centre of Excellence . “The menu follows the training program,” MWO Mihalus says. “If it is time for them to learn how to prepare roast beef and stuffed chicken, then you get roast beef and stuffed chicken for lunch.”
Warrant Officer Dave LeBlanc directly oversees the daily training program, along with civilian supervisor and Chef Mariça Radocaj. There are also two civilian kitchen assistants, Lisa Bagosian and Henry Berga. The training program has a budget of $25,000 per year, which includes operation and maintenance, and training rations, which essentially means any food, which on occasion doesn’t turn out quite right , ends up in the garbage. All the food consumed is paid for by the customers, so the cafeteria supports itself.
“We are now on our third training serial of four cooks, but we could have as many as eight at a time,” says MWO Mihalus. “I think the optimum number would be six.” Every day the cafeteria staff provides meals for approximately 200 people, from Land Force Central Area Headquarters, Areas Support Unit Toronto, 32CBG and all the other units that reside in the armoury. While lunch is the main meal, the staff also provides some breakfast items such as bacon-lettuce and tomato sandwiches, muffins and croissants scrambled eggs etc.
“The kitchen is being renovated and we should shortly be able to expand our menu,” MWO Mihalus says. “This past season we catered four holiday dinners, and we also provide foods for some mess functions.”
The trainee cooks also prepare mess dinners, two each year, one for the Commander of LFCA, and the other for the Commander of 32 CBG.
“Of course, none of this would work without the great support and direction we’ve received from a number of senior personnel,” MWO Mihalus stresses. “The Commander of LFCA, Commanders and Chiefs of Staff of 32 Brigade and also the Area Support Group have all backed the program strongly. This is what has allowed us to accomplish what we have done to date.” |
