Vincy chef in Royal Navy makes headlines with culinary skills

Stories by: Christina Smith

The culinary skills of a St Vincent and the Grenadines naval officer made headlines in UK news recently, resulting in him and his team receiving tons of compliments and also commendation from the country’s Prime Minister.

Able Seaman, Rhodri Henry, who resided at Richland Park and was a Traffic Officer with the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), was featured in the Plymouth Chronicle under the headline ‘Taste of the Caribbean goes down a treat with crew of HMS St Albans’.

The article highlighted the celebration for Commonwealth Day 2025 aboard the Devonport-based warship with Henry and Leading Hand Ashanti Green, from Jamaica, spearheading the scrumptious buffet filled with foods inspired from the Caribbean.

During the interview, Henry admitted that he did not expect that his cooking hobby would turn into a passion, but he is more pleased about where his career in the Royal Navy has taken him thus far.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Henry explained that when he joined the Navy he was assigned to Catering Services which falls under the Logistics Department.

“My day to day job on the inside is a chef. I was attached to a Marine Unit for three years as my first draft out of training. I was lucky to get that as most new recruits have a ship for their first draft.”

He joined the crew of the HMS St Albans back in January, and Henry said since then it has been a crazy time in his career especially since the March 10 celebration for Commonwealth Day.

“The meals were so good that everyone kept talking weeks after… word got so far that everyone wanted to know the mastermind behind the meal plans/ideas.”

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