Chief Culinary Specialist Dexter Johnson quietly makes his way down a narrow stairway into an enormous basement kitchen, carefully stepping over two Labradors sprawled on the cold floor. He quietly prepares an early morning fresh brew of coffee for a very important American.
But it’s not an admiral that Johnson is serving as a Navy Enlisted Aide (NEA).
On this early morning, he served coffee to arguably the second most powerful man in the world, Vice President Dick Cheney.
Johnson is one of a handful of NEAs assigned to the Vice President’s Residence in Washington, D.C.
The NEAs – whose rating is Culinary Specialist – do much more than make coffee, though. They are responsible for everything from grocery shopping to laundry, and must also be able to create culinary masterpieces and elegantly entertain national and world leaders. NEAs provide service at every level to support the Vice President’s Residence and his guests, and they travel domestically and abroad with the Vice President to provide support.
“We get a very personal view of a very public figure,” said CSCS Dave Rodriguez. Like the magnificent Western portraits that adorn the halls of the Residence, they are permanent fixtures directly involved in the life of the Vice President. The NEAs also get to work in one of America’s beautiful historic homes. The Residence is an 18th century, white Victorian house with green shutters, situated on a lush green hill on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in northwest Washington, D.C., north of Georgetown on Embassy Row. The U.S. Navy owns the home, which from 1923 to 1974 was occupied by the Chief of Naval Operations.
Since 1974 the Navy NEAs have been responsible for the upkeep and organization of the four-story, 32-room Residence and pool house. Like an usher preparing an opera theater for the next show, they overlook no detail for both the occupants and their guests. And when called on to entertain, NEAs must have a working knowledge of both formal and informal household etiquette practices including table manners, formal service and guest protocol.
Elegant presentation of food is at the heart of their duties.
A monthly menu is planned, incorporating new recipes into a regular rotation of family favorites. Dinner parties require longer lead-time and special consideration, NEAs noted. Like Thanksgiving dinner at Mom’s house, the meals are well planned and thought out.
“The Navy Dietician is a great help in planning the menu,” said Master Chief Culinary Specialist Elmer Anies. Recipes are developed keeping in mind calories, saturated and hydrogenated fats, portion size and carbohydrates.
“It requires being creative to keep the food both flavorful and healthy,” said CSC Gus Anies, brother of Elmer Anies. Sometimes recipes require special research.
“Once we were asked to make a special birthday cake for a high-profile guest,” said Gus Anies. “We found out this man’s favorite cake had caramel frosting. I had to do research in old cookbooks to come up with the recipe, but it was very gratifying when the guest said, ‘This was so good. It reminds me of the birthday cakes my mother made for me as a child.’”
Sometimes, the foods have a distinctly Western flair. The Vice President, who hails from Wyoming, enjoys serving bison to dinner guests.
