CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Lance Cpl. Josiah Benoit said eating at Camp Foster’s Mess Hall 488 always is good — way better than the only other chow hall he’s eaten at, which was during recruit training.

He said the meals are so good he wasn’t surprised to learn the dining facility had been named one of the Marine Corps’ best for 2004.

“The food is always good and fresh … it’s high quality,” Benoit said. “You can tell they put a lot of hard work into it.”

For all that effort, the mess hall recently received the Maj. Gen. W.P.T. Hill award for Best Jointly Operated Garrison Mess Hall in the Corps, said manager Master Sgt. Carlos Middlebrooks. In all, 24 Marines and 57 Master Labor Contract employees keep the food lines operating to feed about 1,200 people each day.

To be named top in the Corps, Middlebrooks said, the mess hall crew had to compete against others throughout Japan. They topped that competition and went head-to-head against other regional winners in the same category. There are three other categories in the chow hall competition: best active field mess, best reserve field mess and best full food service garrison mess hall.

This is the first time the facility has won the award, Middlebrooks said, adding that being named No. 1 shows “hard work pays off.” The award, he pointed out, is a command award that belongs to the base, not just the mess hall.

Evaluators judge the building’s overall appearance, food preparation and presentation, sanitation and the administration side of the business, said Gunnery Sgt. Sandra Wheeler, assistant manager. The win “means more to the troops,” Wheeler said. “They’re the ones in the galley doing all the hard work.”

Middlebrooks said the facility always was at peak performance when it came to the actual food side of the competition but “flare … decorations and garnishes” put Mess Hall 488 over the top this year.

“We couldn’t ask more of the Marines working here,” Wheeler said. “We always push them to do better but they’re doing a good job.”