Last modified Tue., November 20, 2007 - 03:57 PM
Originally created Wednesday, November 21, 2007

NH Jax cook heads for White House

By Marsha Childs, NHJ Marketing

CS2 Sonny Lalatag prepares lunch at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Child Street CafŽ. He has been selected for duty at the White House. Photo by Marsha Childs

Three months after his initial interview in November 2006 with the White House command master chief and NCIS agents in Washington, D.C., Naval Hospital Jacksonville CS2 Sonny Lalatag finally learned he was accepted to the White House Mess. He will have the distinct honor of cooking for the president of the United States, his family and guests.

Lalatag never imagined he would end up in such a coveted spot, especially when he first explored entering military service. Two days after reading "Let the Journey Begin" on the Navy's Web site, Lalatag called a recruiter. He had completed three years of college in the Republic of the Philippines studying computer science, yet he was limited in his choice of career fields.

He entered the Navy in June 1999 as a non-designated striker and later gravitated to the rate of culinary specialist, although it wasn't his first choice at the time. Because he wasn't a U.S. citizen, he couldn't get a security clearance and without it, he couldn't qualify for a career path that complimented his education.

"I couldn't get a security clearance when I enlisted and therefore, I couldn't get gunner's mate or information technology," he explained. Fortunately, Lalatag liked cooking.

While assigned on board USS Halyburton from November 1999 to January 2003, Lalatag worked in the wardroom. "At first the officers didn't take me seriously," he said, "They treated me like a waiter."

However, over time they came to appreciate the quality of his food, the extra servings and his efforts to make their meals more appealing to the eye.

"I love cooking because I like to see people appreciate what I do," he stated. It's not just about cooking, but about making a difference; not just at work but also in the community."

At the urging of his leading petty officer, CS1 Kelvin Wiggins, Lalatag applied for the position at the White House. He said, "I wanted something different, but I thought I was limited to working on ships and galleys." It was the encouragement from Wiggins that led him to apply and he was the only cook from the hospital to pursue the opportunity.

After months of background checks, Lalatag will report for his new assignment in February 2008. He will have one more chance to shine before reporting for White House duty.

He will be accompanied to Washington by his wife, Estela, also a Filipino and a Navy cook who he met in church four years ago. "It's an honor for me to work for the president. Even if I don't get sent to Iraq, it is also part of my contribution to be patriotic," he said.