Photo By 1st Lt. Anna Doo | Childhood friends, Tech. Sgt. David Ortiz, left, and Chris Morales take a break from...... read more read more
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Deployments can be challenging on numerous levels: the mission itself, the change in environment, restrictions on lifestyle, being away from all things familiar, and especially the food. For more than 90 deployed New Mexico National Guard Airmen, a little taste of home is on its way in the form of a generous donation from Golden Crown Panaderia, a local bakery.
The bakery donated more than 600 Biscochitos, the state cookie of New Mexico. In nearly every kitchen across the state, the basic recipe is adapted to the traditions and tastes of the baker. Pratt Morales, owner of Golden Crown Panaderia, said generations of families pass down their recipes and that even though the Biscochito is the state cookie, there is no such thing as a state recipe. Morales said the first Biscochitos came with the Spaniards and was formed in the shape of a delicate flower. During the 42 years of Golden Crown’s existence, Morales has molded his recipe to meet particular specifications and variations while also shaping the cookie to be a bit more travel-friendly.
Morales and his son, Chris Morales, baked traditional-flavored Biscochitos, as well as chocolate and cappuccino-flavored cookies, to send to the Airmen deployed to the Middle East. Each Airman will receive an individually wrapped stack of a half dozen cookies, and whether they share or not is up to them. Tech. Sgt. David Ortiz, Logistics Manager with the 150th Special Operations Wing, a childhood friend of Chris, reached out to the bakery inquiring whether they might be interested in sending some tastes of home to his fellow Airmen. Pratt, a 23 year Air Force veteran himself, enthusiastically agreed.
“It’s a continuation, a way to do my part. It’s why we’re very happy to do this. Not only because I’m military, but because of all of that,” he said. The “all of that” he referenced is the bakery’s thirty-plus-year-old tradition of greeting every customer with a Biscochito and the salutation of “all kids get a free Biscochito.” Pratt said it changes the whole demeanor and outlook of the customers and puts grins on their faces.
This small act of kindness can be just the switch needed to turn a bad day into a better day, especially for those deployed without the creature comforts they are accustomed to back home. Ortiz spoke of the Warrior Ethos, and the impact these cookies may have.
“The generosity of giving something here says enough, especially during Christmastime,” Ortiz said. “The magnitude of what it’s going to do to the psyche of the guys who are out there isn’t really going to be comprehended by anyone here, even the giver, even Chris and his father. When you’re out there, especially during the holidays, from experience I know how hard that is. To get something from home completely changes your psyche and it refills your Warrior Ethos.”
That Warrior Ethos is needed in order to focus on the mission at hand, to watch out for their fellow Airman, and to maintain a level of readiness and alertness so as to respond to any situation. Receiving a box of Biscochitos from home can be a reminder to each Airman of the reasons they are currently serving. By enlisting in the Air National Guard, and choosing to serve and deploy, each Airman is defending the freedoms of those living here. A box of cookies is a tangible token of the gratitude the community has for their service.
“To be able to take the moment and time to be able to set this up for them, to bake the cookies and to package them and send them out to just a small percentage of [the Airmen] is me being able to say thank you,” Chris said. “There’s more to life than money; life is about moments that we get to enjoy. I’m hoping this moment when they open up their box is a moment they will always remember.”
Without the support of the community surrounding our National Guard, the challenges of deployment can pile up and become overwhelming. By taking the time to specially bake the state’s cookie for the members of the New Mexico Air National Guard, Pratt and Chris of Golden Crown Panaderia have refilled the stomachs, warmed the hearts and shown them that the community is eagerly awaiting their return.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2015 17:24 |
| Story ID: | 184967 |
| Location: | ALBUQUERQUE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 334 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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