NORFOLK, Va. — English celebrity chef Robert Irvine visited Naval Station Norfolk to cook for sailors onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.
The celebrity chef started his visit by teaching Navy culinary specialists and food service officers his approach to food preparation Monday. Then on Tuesday, Irvine cooked alongside the culinary specialists who are responsible for running the ship's "mess deck" where sailors eat.
Irvine's visit comes a few months after the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group returned from its first deployment.
The group left Norfolk in May 2023 for a six-month deployment in the U.S. European Command area that was expected to end in early November. The deployment was extended to January after the Israel-Hamas war.
This isn't the only time Irvine has visited Naval Station Norfolk. He joined President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for a Friendsgiving meal with Norfolk-based sailors, as well as family members of USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower sailors, back in November.