Sub’s galley to be named after La Posta
By Diana M. Alba/Sun-News reporter
Posted: 01/08/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
MESILLA — A Mesilla restaurant beat out another eatery in the state to have its name permanently affiliated with the dining area of an under-construction Navy submarine.
The mess — or “galley” for seafarers — of the USS New Mexico will be dubbed “La Posta.”
The $2.7 billion nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine is being built in Virginia and will eventually serve in the Navy’s fleet.
La Posta was in competition with El Pinto, a restaurant in Albuquerque. The contest entailed visits from members of the submarine’s crew over the past year.
“They were just looking at the restaurant and a way of preparing food that reflected New Mexico,” said Tom Hutchinson, co-owner of La Posta de Mesilla.
“We just put our best foot forward.”
Hutchinson said the height of the competition came in early fall of last year, when two crew members spent a few days at La Posta, preparing food, learning recipes and examining overall operations. They also toured chile farms and chile production facilities.
Master Chief Roger Meffley, chief of boat for the USS New Mexico, said crew members had developed a list of three potential names, including the two restaurants and a name they’d generated themselves, Santa Fe Trail Cafe. They settled on La Posta after a vote.
“When asked why they voted for La Posta, the thought was that La Posta was smaller, and its atmosphere was more in line with a submarine crew’s … galley when compared to its competitor that was on a much larger scale,” he wrote in an e-mail.
“Both restaurants have been wonderful and very supportive to crew and the command intends to keep strong ties to both businesses.”
Las Cruces resident Chris Wise dined at La Posta on Monday afternoon. After hearing about the restaurant’s connection to the submarine to La Posta, Wise said:
“It’s good for New Mexico.”
Hutchinson, who has owned the restaurant for the past 13 years, said the crew members during their stay sampled a spectrum of La Posta’s menu items, and “they really liked the way we prepared our chile.” He also credited his staff for the honor.
Meffley said it’s traditional for areas in a submarine to be named after people, places and objects.
“Having a name for your living area helps promote personal pride and improves sailor sense of ownership,” he wrote. “Usually these areas would include the crew’s mess, the wardroom and crew living spaces.”
In addition to the mess, five other areas of the vessel will be named after Medal of Honor recipients from New Mexico, Meffley said. The rooms will be marked with brass plaques.
Hutchinson said the naming of the galley after his restaurant has “extra special significance” because he served in the Navy from 1977 to 2002. Nine of those years were in active duty. His service was as an aviator, and he worked with Navy submarines to coordinate the tracking of Soviet Union submarines.
Hutchinson said he plans to name a room in his restaurant after the submarine.
Hutchinson and his wife, Jerean Hutchinson, attended the christening of the submarine on Dec. 13 in Newport News, Va. The vessel will be placed into water for the first time on Jan. 17 and will go through several months of trials before beginning its first mission in October. That final step will be marked by a
commissioning ceremony, which the Hutchinsons also plan to attend.
The USS New Mexico is the sixth so-called Virginia class submarine. It’s 377 feet long and will be able to dive to a depth of about 800 feet.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5443
USS New Mexico
Length: 377 feet
Speed: 28-plus mph
Depth: 800 feet
Torpedo tubes: 4
Crew: 134 (118 when deployed)
Cost: $2.7 billion
Design life: 33 years
Source: www.ussnewmexico.net