Photo By Tech. Sgt. Andrew Schumann | Airman First Class Joshua Hatter, a Services Journeyman with the 127th Force Support...... read more read more
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Every month, Selfridge Airmen enjoy the best lunch in the Air National Guard.
The 127th Force Support Squadron Services Flight has been awarded the ANG’s SMSgt. Kenneth W. Disney Award for operating the best dining facility in the ANG. In early March, a team of inspectors from around the ANG visited Selfridge during the 127th Wing’s regular monthly drill weekend, observing food preparation, reviewing records, interviewing Airmen and – perhaps most importantly – having lunch in the Selfridge Dining Facility. The award was announced in late March.
"Our Services Airmen take great pride in providing a nutritious and delicious meal to the wing every month," said Lt. Col. Lisa Boggs, 127th FSS commander. “Winning the Disney Award is confirmation of the skill and the teamwork that our Airmen bring to every meal service."
While a myriad of details goes in to operating a food service operation at a high level, Master Sgt. Michael Kavalunas, DFAC manager for the 127th FSS, said it is the positive energy that his team brings to the job that sets them apart.
“The positive energy creates good morale in the unit and helps everyone work together as one team. That’s what makes the difference,” said Kavalunas, who has been a member of the Services Flight at Selfridge for nine years. “We have the luxury at Selfridge of having a great facility and excellent equipment, but that’s not what the inspectors were looking at. What they saw was a team that was following all the health and hygiene standards, taking pride in a great meal and having a smile while they were doing it."
“Our Airmen really see the big picture. They know that their job isn’t to cook one item or to serve one item. It is to put out a quality meal on time,” Kavalunas said.
The Disney Award is presented annually and honors the late SMSgt. Disney, a former services superintendent in the Tennessee Air National Guard known for providing outstanding customer service. According to the award citation, “achieving success in the Disney competition is a reflection of pride, commitment and motivation to be the best.”
That motivation is readily found among the 25 Airmen who are assigned to the Selfridge DFAC food services team.
“I just want to put out a good product, that’s where the satisfaction comes for me,” said Staff Sgt. Tyler Walker, a shift leader in the kitchen. Walker has been a member of the Services Flight for eight years.
According to Services Airmen, meal preparation at the Selfridge DFAC begins as soon as one meal ends. Air National Guard Services teams have the added challenge of generally only operating the DFAC’s food service two days a month, during the wing’s monthly drill weekend. That, they said, makes planning critical to the process.
“We start with an inventory of what’s in the store room and start planning from there. We want to serve a great meal, but we also have to be mindful of our budget,” Kavalunas said.
Once the plan is set, the Services team makes a menu and orders food for the next month. They generally serve about 230 Airmen at lunch. During the April drill, Services planned on a bit fewer Airmen in the DFAC, but also prepared about 300 box lunches to go, to support a Wing-level exercise.
“We adjust all the time,” explained Airman 1st Class Joshua Hatter, who has been a Services Airman for about 2 ½ years. “I think that’s part of what is good about this team – everyone is willing to be flexible and understands it isn’t just about what I am doing, it’s about the meal we are able to provide to the Wing, to keep everybody fueled up and able to do their job.”
The meal prep for a particular drill weekend shifts into high gear on the Friday before the weekend drill. A small team reports for duty on Friday to start the prep work for the meal – there just isn’t enough time on Saturday morning to get it all done.
Plus, Kavalunas points out, the Services Airmen have other military duties as well – training, physical fitness assessments, career progression – that take some Airmen away from the meal prep process.
Hatter and Walker both work quite different jobs in their civilian career than they do as Services Airmen in the 127th Wing. Hatter is a banker and Walker works as a team leader for Stellantis.
Hatter was a former track athlete in college. He said the team spirit he experienced as a college athlete is similar to the atmosphere working alongside his fellow Services Airmen.
“I wanted to do something bigger than myself and we do that here,” Hatter said of serving in the Air National Guard.
Walker said he enjoys challenging Airmen to bring their own creativity to the job.
“We follow all the guidelines for safety: food temperature, how we handle the food. But if there is an opportunity for someone to get a little creative with an ingredient or they want to get some extra training, we want try to accommodate that,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2023 11:10 |
| Story ID: | 442144 |
| Location: | SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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