Dining facility 'family' shines during Hennessy Inspection

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  An inspection team from the Air Force Hennessy Travelers Association visited the Riptide Dining Facility at Hurlburt Field Feb. 15-16.

The Hennessy team visits the seven bases named the most outstanding in their respective major commands to determine the best dining facility in the Air Force.

The inspection team comprised of two civilians and two servicemembers who reviewed facilities in five specific areas: kitchen operations; training personnel and readiness; sanitation and repair maintenance; serving and dining operations; and management.

They spoke with everyone-- from Airmen cooking food in the kitchen to the management staff following guidelines throughout the entire year.

"We put our best foot forward," said 1st Lt. Christina Flynn, 1st SOFSS food services officer. "The team made sure that we were not only good, but we were doing our best to go beyond the little details to be the best."

Hurlburt Field won the Hennessy Award for multiple unit operations in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005, and last nominated in 2008.

The 1st SOFSS came up with the "We are Family" theme, an offshoot of the Year of the Air Force Family, for this year's Hennessy visit.

"We are a family and everyone was out there cheering and showing the enthusiasm that we have within the 1st Special Operations Wing and the Air Force Special Operations Command," Lieutenant Flynn said.

She also cited the back-to-back experiences of the ORE and the humanitarian mission in Haiti as a good preparation for the Hennessy inspection.

"Everyone was working so hard and hand-in-hand then and we carried that on through the inspection and did a fantastic job," she said.

Many of the food services Airmen went through the inspection for the first time, said Senior Master Sgt. Carl Kendall, 1st SOFSS food services superintendent.

"This was a good chance for them to get this experience under their belt," he said. "They know what to look forward to next year."

Sergeant Kendall said he was grateful for the team effort from the entire base to get ready for the visit.

"The wing staff provided great support throughout this inspection," he said. "Leadership came in on President's Day to show their support for the team."

One of the Airmen who went through the inspection for the first time was Airman Candace Thompson, a baker with the 1st SOFSS. During the closing ceremony for the inspection, the Hennessy team named her as Hurlburt Field's Outstanding Food Services Specialist.

"When I heard my name, I almost fell out of my chair," she said. "I was both surprised and honored to be selected."

She will be recognized along with six other Airmen at the Hennessy Trophy Awards ceremony in Chicago May 22.

Staff Sgt. ShaErica Waters, 1st SOFSS accountant, completed this Hennessy tour, her fourth while stationed at Hurlburt Field. She said that each visit not only gave Airmen an opportunity to display their skills, but feel a part of the bigger picture.

"Just because you're making spaghetti doesn't mean that you're not part of the base's mission," she said. "This was a great chance for the team to be recognized for that."

According to the program's web site, the award was established in 1957 and named after John L. Hennessy, a hotel and restaurant executive who led an advisory task force to improve military food service.