113th Sustainment Brigade - Steel chefs

Photo By Lt. Col. Matthew Devivo | The Steel Chefs: (from left to right) Sgt. Dantae Lawson, Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Griffith, Spcs. Joseph Akers, Veronica Regis-Jenkins and Natalie Isley. The 113th Sustainment Brigade's DFAC-6 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait can feed 6,000 people a day during four separate meal times.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

05.25.2012

Story by Spc. Damian Flowers 

113th Sustainment Brigade

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - It's 4:00 a.m. here and in addition to soldiers working the night shift centers across post, there is another group of dedicated soldiers working around the clock.

That mission is to keep the soldiers and contractors here fed.

“The Steel Brigade’s Zone 6 dining facility (DFAC-6) staff is another group of 113th silent professionals exceeding the standard and exemplifying our brigade motto, ‘One Team, Twice as Strong,’” said Col. David Jones, commander of the 113th SB.

While there are other places here where soldiers can get a meal, the DFAC is the only place where the meals are free and nutritionally balanced to ensure all the correct food groups are available. DFAC-6 can feed 6,000 people a day during four separate meal times. The brigade also has soldiers working at another Army dining facility located at the Port of Shuaiba, close to Camp Arifjan.

“Midnight chow is one of the best meals served during the day, because it’s quieter and we get a lot of work done preparing for the next day’s meals,” said Sgt. Dontae Lawson, one of the DFAC’s cooks. Midnight chow is served from 11:30 pm to 1:00 am for those who work the night shift or simply wake up wanting a midnight snack.

The DFAC staff agrees that being a food service specialist involves more than just taking head counts or cooking. Here, Steel Brigade food specialists prepare foods and help cook them, manage the civilian staff, ensure hot and cold foods are served according to health and sanitary regulations, and are the customer service representatives on the floor to assist soldiers with comments or issues during mealtimes.

The food service soldiers said their job entails long hours and working closely with the third-country nationals working in the DFAC and interacting with soldiers from every unit on post. More than 100 TCNs work with the 113th’s DFAC-6 crew. Coming from as far away as India and the Philippines, they work closely with their U.S. military counterparts.

“They are very nice people,” said Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Griffith, the
DFAC’s morning and afternoon shift supervisor. “They are hard workers and we have fun working with them.”

Spc. Natalie Isley, who works the lunch shift, said the staff works hard to get repeat customers. “Our DFAC does its best to please and keep soldiers coming back and wanting more of our delicious meals,” she said.

According to the 113th crew, their DFAC is also well-known for its big holiday events when the staff soldiers and TCNs decorate the inside of the facility with intricately carved foods and hang holiday decorations all across walls and on the tables. The Steel Chefs of the 113th Sustainment Brigade can be counted upon to work hard on the DFAC floor and behind the counters, they said.

“We make sure every meal is hot and healthy and is served in a clean, safe environment,” said Griffith.

• Date Taken: 05.25.2012
• Date Posted: 05.26.2012 07:16
• Story ID: 89041
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW