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Support squadron focuses on feeding the force

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Tech. Sgt. Farrel Blake has his work tested more than 4,500 times a day by some of the harshest critics imaginable, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He knows the grading system.

On those personal critique sheets, most times the innumerable passing grades fail to elicit a mention, while the few failing ones he does get demand his immediate attention. And they'll usually always come during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Sergeant Blake, 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron Desert Winds Dining Facility NCO in charge, put those comments into perspective.

"We do our best to take care of the negative feedbacks with [thorough] explanations," Sergeant Blake said. He explained the nature of the business is that you'll always hear more negative things than positive, simply because satisfied people don't usually make it known they are content.

"So you have to look at it this way; if I feed over 4,500 people a day, and I hear five complaints, I'm not doing so bad," Sergeant Blake said. He is deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy.

A lot more goes into food preparation than just the taste, and what many people don't see is the work that goes into feeding the force every day, without fail. Although the military personnel that work at the Desert Winds mostly supervise host-nation cooks and chefs and perform quality assurance duties, there is much more to the operation than the serving line.

Warehouses attached to the facility hold everything from bags of ice to drinks and an assortment of different foods. Small, mobile forklifts move in and out of them constantly, offloading semi-trucks oared at their entrances.

Large gray freezers decorate the facility's insides, each kept at a different temperature to successfully store different meats, fruits and vegetables.

Huge industrial-grade cooking gear, with large open-mouth mixers and boilers, line the insides of the kitchen and the storage rooms. The setup, which accommodates a large staff of cooks and preparers, has specially designated sections where certain foods can be prepared, such as fish and poultry.

"It's the first time I've been anywhere this well set up," Sergeant Blake said. "I've seen a lot of nice places, but this one tops them all."

Then there's portion control. One of the things you can't do, Sergeant Blake said, is run out of food, which means enough meat must be defrosted and cooked for meals, and enough vegetables must be cut up to fund a steady stream of salads and dressings for sandwiches.

Many of the preparers, when they are not busy cutting, seasoning and stirring, are on the floor refilling pasta and fruit bars, as well as drink dispensers, napkins and silverware. The sound of the rolling carts and the automatic dishwasher blends in with the voices a room full of satisfied people enjoying their meals, or a slice or two of cake.

Part of what makes the operation so successful is the relationship between the host-nation cooks and the military personnel. Sergeant Blake said the communication between the two groups is strong and they all get along well together.

In a place that works around the clock, that sort of relationship is necessary, regardless of who's on shift. Cooks and preparers work and help watch out for each other constantly, and confer with their military counterparts with questions about items such as changes to a menu for final approval.
Food service technicians also ensure adhere to safety standards and follow proper operating procedures. Line checks are made to ensure the food temperatures are correct on the serving line at all times.

Additionally, food service technicians also work hard to accommodate holidays and special events, even down to the personal ones, such as birthdays. Every month, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosts a birthday meal for deployed members celebrating a birthday away from home. From time to time, depending on the season, the interior design will feature a brand new holiday decoration scheme.

Those sorts of efforts help enhance a sort of casual atmosphere that runs concurrent with the hustle and bustle of thousands of people moving in and out of the serving lines at lunch and dinner. It makes the dining facility more than a place to just come and eat.

It also makes it a place to meet.

"I like to interact with the customers," said Airman 1st Class Thelma Timms, a food service technician with the 386th EFSS. She is deployed from Aviano AB, Italy, and is originally from Harlem, N.Y. "You get to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different career fields, and you become more knowledgeable about things within the Air Force."

That same atmosphere is mirrored out on the flightline, where the "Desert Breeze" caters to maintainers and aircrew unable to leave the flightline for a meal at the Desert Winds facility. The Desert Breeze flightline kitchen is open 24 hours and serves nearly 700 people a day.

Senior Airman Robyn Hines, a food service technician deployed from Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., describes the facility as having an atmosphere with a small-time diner feel that everyone seems to enjoy.

"We serve everything the [Desert Winds facility] serves," Airman Hines said, explaining that even though the flightline kitchen is smaller, it's just as capable. "We see some [coalition force] members come through as well."

The two facilities work hand-in-hand to ensure the force is fed and ready to fight.
But for some of the members, working in a kitchen has a much more personal meaning to it. The pleasure it provides is much more intrinsic and purpose driven and ethereal. Like a calling.

"Cooking is an art," said Staff Sgt. Ricardo Rodriguez-Torres, a shift supervisor deployed from Aviano AB, Italy, who calls Bonce, Puerto Rico home. "You have to have a passion for it, and it's a process, learning about the starches and spices and everything."

Others like the regularity and structure the dining facility workload provides.

"You should never be unprepared for food, because of the hours," said Sergeant Blake. "You know when it's show time. You know when it's play time. And you know when you have the opportunity to be creative."

"So you get to complete the product, present the end result and see the satisfaction. It's the best job in the [Force Support Squadron]," Sergeant Blake said.