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AFIT Faculty Member Gets Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity Leading the Air Force Food Service Excellence Team

Posted Monday, March 10, 2008

 

Once a year the Air Force teams with the National Restaurant Association to send out two teams to scour the globe in search of the best Air Force food service operations. The categories, single and multiple, are determined based on the number of military dining facilities at a particular installation. The winner in each category will receive a Hennessy trophy, one that rivals the Stanley Cup, as well as bragging rights in this 51 year old award program. This year Maj (sel) Rob Schabron, from AFIT’s Civil Engineering and Services faculty, had the unique opportunity to serve as Team Chief for the Multiple Category Team.

Capt Schabron with A1C PerezMaj (sel) Schabron recently returned from the four week, 27,000 mile TDY that took him through seven different Air Force installations and more than 20 dining facilities, where every process of food service was evaluated. His team consisted of Master Sgt Rick Seeley, a former Dining Facility Manager and Storeroom trainer, Russ Adams, a chef and owner of two restaurants in Indiana, and Jack Kleckner, a sanitation and maintenance expert from Ecolab, one of the largest sanitation and hospitality companies in the world. Each team is composed of skill sets that complement each other as well as equal representation of civilians and military.

Unlike an Inspector General Unit Compliance Inspection, the bases evaluated were nominated by each MAJCOM as their best, so it is quite an honor to compete. The competition is primarily about showcasing the talent, energy, and competence of the young Airmen producing the thousands of meals for the troops around the world in any number of conditions. Those nominated, however, have each generated base-wide support and receive much senior level attention.

Mountain Home AFBEach team is challenged with determining which MAJCOM’s flagship is the winner with only 48 hours per installation. A typical day of inspection begins at 0430 to observe breakfast preparation and service and continues until 0200 when midnight meal concludes. Each base can score up to 1000 points across five sections. Each measured element is objective in nature, but subjective observance ultimately determines the score. The areas evaluated include Kitchen Operations, Serving and Dining Operations, Training/Personnel and Readiness, Sanitation and Repair Maintenance, and Management. Evaluators have to be critical as many of these operations are on top of their game and a team consensus in scoring is the goal.

Team with A1C PaigeIn addition to scoring the overall food operation, the team has the opportunity to recognize the stars at each base. The culmination of each base visit is the acknowledgment of both the civilian and military workforce with “Professional Performer” certificates and the top military member’s selection as a prestigious “Hennessy Traveler.” Each Traveler will represent their base in Chicago in May at the National Restaurant Association Show and concurrent Air Force Hennessy Awards Banquet.

 

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