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MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS

USAFE FOOD SERVICE SMALL SITE AWARD College in Chicago, where participants attend seminars,
work on dining facility design project and present the team
plans to judges, who select a winner. As part of the train-
***WINNER*** ing program, participants spend a day at the NRA Show
VOLKEL AB, NL, 703RD MUNSS, USAFE to visit with selected exhibitors and sit in on educational
sessions. (See the NRA Preview on page 26.)
AFGSC BEST MISSILE FEEDING OPERATION HISTORY

***WINNER*** The oldest of the military food service awards, the
F.E. WARREN AFB WYO., Hennessy program was established in 1956 to raise the
quality of Air Force food service by promoting excellence
90TH MISSILE WING, AFGSC in customer service and support to airmen.
It was named in honor of a hotel and restaurant execu-
DISNEY AWARD: BEST IN AIR NATIONAL GUARD tive who led a special Hoover Commission Task Group
organized under President Eisenhower to improve military
food service.
***WINNER*** Now, after 62 years, the interaction with respected hos-
125TH FIGHTER WING, FORCE SUPPORT pitality industry peers brings outside expertise and recog-
SQUADRON, SUSTAINMENT SERVICES FLIGHT nition to Air Force Food Service, as well as to the training
and commitment required to achieve culinary excellence
along with contributing a boost to morale.
Military culinary specialists gain expertise while working
under the observation of the Hennessy evaluators from
industry and within the military. The interaction is also
an opportunity to learn about professional civilian career
paths to follow after terms of service are completed.
Momentum for the Hennessy started building in 1953
when President Eisenhower established the second Hoover
Commission to study ways to improve the efficiency of
government agencies. John L. Hennessy was a hotel and
restaurant executive who served on a special task group
HENNESSY TRAVELERS within the Hoover Commission.
ASSOCIATION EVALUATORS agencies being studied, and Hennessy was part of a task
The Department of Defense was one of the government
group focused on making improvements to troop feeding
AIR FORCE and commissary programs (principally, the troop issue
Bill Spencer, AFSVA element as opposed to the retail stores).
Technical Sgt. Aaron Edwards, USAF A recommendation of the study was that military food
Master Sgt. John Williams, ANG service operations begin a competition to identify and
Chief Master Sgt. Dan Kelly, USAF Reserves
reward those judged to be the best, inspire better man-
NRA agement and build the food service command support.
Dr. Jerry Chesser, California State Polytechnic University First to implement this recommendation was the Air
Pomona Force when it established the program named in Hen-
Ralph Goldbeck, partner, Kitchens to Go, Built by Carlin nessy’s honor and later became known as the Hennessy
Jay Marshal, executive chef, Sysco, San Francisco Trophy Awards Program.
Mike Sabella, president, Food Safety Certified
Bernadette Ventura, senior manager, Food & Conference AIR NATIONAL GUARD
Services, Health Care Service Corporation Air National Guard units make a similar commitment
Carmen Vacalebre, restaurateur to motivating better food service under the Disney Award
Program. Named for the late Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth
Disney, the award remains a way to promote quality meal
In addition, the winning teams also participate in a service in the Air Guard.
three-day training and education program involving mili- Winners are recognized for Best Food Service among the
tary culinary specialists from all the service branches as 99 Air Guard Units nationwide. Additionally, one member
part of the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, from each of the final three units is selected by the Hen-
Hotel-Motel Show 2018, May 19 to 22 at McCormick Place nessy evaluators to attend the weeklong hands-on training
in Chicago. forum at the CIA Greystone campus in California.
Two days of the training program take place at Kendall —GFS
24 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • MAY 2018