Team Work of Cooks

When I arrived and went to Canada Dry 1 it was called, so, and like I said we had another camp that was called, Canada Dry 2, it was at the airfield. So we had two camps that were there. Interviewer: And I understand that the role and your occupation at the time was the cook. And if you can help me understand, were you going alone or was it a type of team approach that a team of cooks or a team of bakers went on site at the camps? Give us an understanding of what it was like upon arrival. Okay, well it’s similar same as like, I’m Navy by trade, and similar same as a watch at sea that you have, two cooks that work at night, and then one is a cook, one is a night baker, and then you have six cooks working during the day, and then you have a chief cook that runs, runs the whole show, and then you have a ration clerk that runs and orders the food back and forth. So I was one, I was the night cook which slash turned into being the night baker after the first week of being there. So for the next 99 nights, I was the night baker. So from there, my duty was being night baker was making everything from hand. I didn’t have a mixing machine, so I didn’t have the proper equipment to actually bake. So it was like, say, like if you were making pie dough or you were making cookie dough or if you were making whatever, or you are rolling out, say your cookies or your pies or your cakes, everything was done by hand. So you have to take a look at it for doing two camps at the start, I was doing two camps, and I was feeding 260 people for baked goods from cookies to pies to squares to everything under the sun made by hand. So, then from there, then we got more cooks and then they broke it down over at the airfield in Canada Dry 1 and Canada Dry 2, in the airfield, then we had more cooks arrive on the scene and then they broke it in half that way. So then they split, then I broke down that I was only feeding 160 people baked goods.

Mr. Hynes explains the process amongst the teams of cooks and bakers and how they ensured that everyone was getting fed properly.

Gerald Hynes

Mr. Gerald “Jerry” Hynes was born October 6, 1963 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following in his father’s footsteps, Mr. Hynes decided to join the navy and take on the trade of cook. Spending 27 years in the military, Mr. Hynes lived in Germany with his family and during this time in service, was provided an opportunity to join the contingent going to Persian Gulf War. Mr. Hynes expresses his pride for the service he gave to our Country, now retired from the military he resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.