MINOT (AP) - It's one of the toughest competitions ever for National Guard members here.

A national team of military judges will be in the Minot area Saturday to judge how well the Headquarters Company cook section of the 164th Engineer Battalion prepares a meal for about 130 soldiers in the field.

"This is really intense," said Staff Sgt. Barry Jager of Williston, the senior food operations sergeant. "The judges will walk through the entire area and will never tell you how you're doing."

The sought-after title is called the Philip A. Connelly Award, named in honor of the late past president of the International Food Service Executives Association, which co-sponsors the award with the Army.

The program was established in 1968.

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Narum said the Connelly award's goals are to improve the professionalism of the food service personnel, "provide the best quality food service to soldiers and recognize the personnel preparing and serving food in Army dining facilities and field kitchen operations."

Jager has been involved in several battalion and state challenges. His group won the 2002 state competition, at Camp Shiloh, near Brandon, Manitoba.

They are Staff Sgt. Marvin Ballensky of Hazen; Cpl. Brenna Fimrite of Fargo; Spc. Chad Hanson of Berthold; Spc. Charity Ritchie and Spc. Rachel Talbott of Minot; Spc. Shannon Welsh of Fargo and Pfc. Christa Newsome of Hurdsfield.

Jager's crew also won the regional cooking title held at Camp Grafton in June, but hasn't prepared for food competition on this scale before.

"They will watch the cooks and how often they wash their hands, their attitudes, the temperatures of meat and how long other items cook," Jager said of the judges. "They will ask questions."

Narum said the competition is very scientific. Judges rate the cooks on a 100-point scale in a variety of areas including supervision, field sanitation and food quality.

The meal must start at exactly 11:30 a.m., or the team could be disqualified. Judges will scrutinize the production throughout.

The judges even will consider the tactical attitude of each soldier, portion size of the served meal and wasted plate space, Narum said.

Saturday's menu includes meat loaf, au gratin potatoes, fried cabbage, tossed salad, cherry cobbler, milk and Kool-Aid.

Last month, the team prepared a practice meal to get ready for the actual judging, Narum said.

A food service specialist from Fort Carson, Colo., gave the group pointers on what judges might expect and - more importantly - helped them relax while preparing the meal.

"That guy was impressed," Narum said. "He has been through two nationals and told us they shouldn't have any problem winning. They've got amazing attitudes. It's great to see how they work.