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Breeze Dining Facility reopens

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Breeze Dining Facility will reopen for business March 24 after closing for renovations in November 2014. 

Some of the major upgrades during the 16-month period included: replacement of walls and floors in the customer service and dining areas, behind the serving line and in the kitchen.

Other improvements were: mass notification system upgrades, to include recorded voice and visual emergency messages; fire suppression system upgrades to the grill and kitchen areas; and installation of a new tray conveyor and dishwashing system.

Brig. Gen. Christopher P. Azzano, 96th Test Wing commander, said he was proud of how the Team Eglin community came together to do the work necessary to re-open the Breeze, after initial renovations in 2013.

"We're all moving in the right direction to provide the best possible service for Team Eglin's service members and the Eglin community," Azzano said.

To honor the occasion, the 96th Force Support Squadron held a soft opening March 22 for Airmen with meal cards, squadron commanders, chiefs and first sergeants.

Approximately 35 Airmen graduated from Sodexo's eight-day Food Transformation Initiative training program March 18, just in time for the reopening.  In keeping with FTI's approach to healthy eating for the military, the Airmen learned how to prepare healthier food options for Breeze customers. 

Chuck Braun, Sodexo's senior culinary manager, trained the Airmen on food preparation on the global, salad bar, deli, grill and grab-and-go stations; as well as the U-Food grill healthy alternative line and the main line.

"They did a fantastic job," he said.  "It was exciting to see their progress.  I enjoyed watching them get into the training and enjoy what they were doing.  It gave me a nice sense of accomplishment to see the training sink in and take effect."

Senior Airman Roderick Hasty, an FTI graduate and a Breeze shift leader, called the training a nice refresher, having been through the course in 2014.

"This time, I was able to train on the U-Food station, which I hadn't worked on previously," he said.

With only seven months in the Air Force, Airman Karli Wilson, 96th FSS, felt the training accelerated her food service knowledge.

"Coming out of basic and tech school, I didn't feel I knew very much," she said.  "The training gave me more confidence, especially in the safety and customer service areas." 

FTI transformed the Breeze in 2013.  The new feeding capabilities provide customers with greater variety, availability, food quality and healthier selections, said Aubrey Harvey, the Breeze's food service officer.

FTI also enhances the Air Force's sense of community by allowing all personnel with base access to utilize the Breeze.

The 30-year Air Force food service veteran, who managed the Breeze since 2013, said he was impressed with the dining facility before the renovations.  He's speechless at its new service level.

"To me, the Breeze is best dining facility in the Air Force," Harvey said.  "The state-of-the-art renovations have taken it leaps and bounds from before.  Everything we're doing here is geared toward insuring the fifth-generation Airmen can conduct their mission.  FTI continues to sustain our food service's home base and warfighting feeding capabilities."