NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 12, 2025) For the Minoan Taverna, exceptional food quality and customer service is not an aspiration, it is the status quo. The Food Service Officer at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay’s galley takes none of the credit for their success, and instead, attributes it to a long-standing culture of excellence.
“This team of local national employees is incredible,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Domagalski, NSA Souda Bay food service officer. “Usually when you arrive at a command your first job is to identify deficiencies and figure out how you correct them, instead, I immediately identified nothing short of excellence.”
While Domagalski is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Minoan Taverna, he is the only member of the 36-person team who is not a local national employee.
“I quickly realized it was my job to give them the opportunity to show off their skills and then to step back and let them shine,” said Domagalski.
The Minoan Taverna’s reputation for excellence is proven by the galley’s 17-year winning streak of the 5-Star Accreditation for outstanding food service from Commander, Navy Installations Command. This is a distinction that recognizes overall food service excellence through an independent team evaluating key areas in customer service, cleanliness, and management.
The galley’s team members include local national employees like Watch Captain Allen Greer, who has worked at the Minoan Taverna for 24 years.
“I love the moments where you’re all working together to feed hundreds of people at once,” said Greer. “Everything is happening so fast. It’s chaotic. It’s beautiful.”
Greer, who also has food service experience from establishments like private country clubs, and high-end hotels and restaurants, says that it’s the customer interaction that drives him to give one-hundred percent every day.
“It’s about the love of food of course, but it’s really about the people,” said Greer. “More than anything, I love my family, and I see customers here my kid’s age. I know if it was my child on the other side of the ocean, I’d be hoping they’re fed right.”
One common theme among the Minoan Taverna employees is their passion for serving people, especially the constant flow of NSA Souda Bay personnel.
“I have always loved the base and the people who work here,” said Maria Kolormaki, a food service attendant who was born and raised in the neighboring village to the base. “I have many fond childhood memories of the people who worked on the base. Getting to serve these people who work so hard and do so much; it means a lot to me.”
Many of the people working at the Minoan Taverna will also tell you they think it is one of the best places to work on the island.
“A big surprise for me when I first started working here was how kind everyone is and how grateful they are for what we do,” said Cook Antonis Chatzigiannis, who has worked at the Minoan Taverna since 2020. “I used to work 12 to 14 hours a day, to the point of exhaustion. Here your time is respected, and you are respected, and management treats us like family. They care for us, and we care back.”
Storehouse Manager Richard LaFile shares the family sentiment found among Minoan Taverna employees. He began working at the galley 19 years ago with his father, a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer who moved to Crete with his family after his military career.
When asked why he thinks the Minoan Taverna wins the 5-Star Galley accreditation year after year, LaFile said, “We spend so much of our lives around each other – hours, days, weeks, months, years – and when that happens you become family. We win because we are a family.”
NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore installation which enables and supports U.S., Allied, Coalition, and partner nation forces to preserve security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. For more information, visit us at www.cnic.navy.mil/SoudaBay or find us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay.