Airmen keep deployed dining facilities cooking

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Dobrydney
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  No matter where they are, people need food to survive.

In Southwest Asia, Airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron monitor the dining facilities and 'grab n' go' kitchens to ensure all base residents have a broad choice of safe food to eat.

Airman 1st Class Molly Holzem works in the Independence Dining Facility as a quality assurance evaluator. At her home station, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., she worked as a cook in the DFAC. Here, all cooking and baking is handled by local contractors; however, Airman Holzem still has the important responsibilities of checking the temperature of foods to prevent food-borne illnesses and supervising the servers.

Initially, the language barrier between her and the workers posed a challenge.
"At first it was hard because I couldn't understand some of them," Airman Holzem said. "It's easier once they get to know you. They've been doing this for five, six, seven years; they know their job, we're here to make sure everything stays up to par."

Staff Sgt. Cassandra Hampton, storeroom manager at the Manhattan Dining Facility, has also found working with the contractors a broadening experience. "They're great," she said. "They're easy to get along with and I've gotten to experience a little bit of their culture too."

As storeroom manager at the Manhattan, Sergeant Hampton is responsible for making sure the dining facility always has enough food for the approximately 3,500 meals it serves daily.

Every day she will make runs to rations, where the food is delivered, to bring back to the dining facility.

"It depends on the day, but I normally make four to five runs with a full truck," Sergeant Hampton, deployed from the Illinois Air National Guard, said.

Those runs add up to a monthly inventory of $200,000 for the Manhattan. The Independence, meanwhile, is a 24-hour operation, which goes through $1.5 million in inventory per month, said Master Sgt. Brunson Young, Independence DFAC NCOIC.
Sometimes Airman Holzem will assist in serving during busy periods. She said the Independence serves approximately 7,000 meals every day, compared to less than 1,000 at her home station.

Although she isn't responsible for cooking regular meals, Airman Holzem and her co-workers are able to work on making the dining facility more welcoming to its patrons. For the holiday season, the Independence Airmen wrapped gifts and made decorations based on Dr. Suess' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' with some help from the 1st Expeditionary REDHORSE group, which made some 'Whoville' houses for the dining area.

"It's so the diners can feel a bit of home when they come in here," Airman Holzem said. As a special treat, Airman Holzem and Senior Airman Aja Blair also baked more than 700 cookies using a family recipe Airman Holzem brought from home.

While Airman Holzem works to make the Independence a better place at which to eat, Sergeant Hampton has learned ways to make the Manhattan more efficient.

"We have a rotator connex, which is basically where all the food for that day is kept so the workers know where to go," Sergeant Hampton said. "That way no one is confused going to multiple connexes for different items. It's something the [contractors] implemented and it's helped out a lot."

As an Air Guard member on her first deployment, Sergeant Hampton is glad for the lessons working in the Manhattan has provided.

"It's a good refresher," she said. "I'm learning something new every day and all the things I've learned here I get to take home with me. It's been a very good experience."