Holloman AFB Hosts Cooking Class for Airmen and Families

Col. Ryan Keeney, 49th Wing commander, and his wife Aimee Keeney, mix dough during a cooking class Nov. 7, 2020, on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The cooking class was available to Airmen and their families as part of an initiative to connect them with the culture and activities that Alamogordo has to offer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Denise Ottaviano)

Holloman AFB Hosts Cooking Class for Airmen and Families

Airman 1st Class Hunter Breaux, 16th Training Squadron student, forms balls of dough to make tortillas during a cooking class, Nov. 7, 2020, on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. With more people spending time in the home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the class was livestreamed to allow Airmen and their families to participate in a fun activity while being COVID safe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Denise Ottaviano)

Holloman AFB Hosts Cooking Class for Airmen and Families

(From left to right) Airman 1st Class Hunter Breaux, 16th Training Squadron student, Col. Ryan Keeney, 49th Wing commander, Airman 1st Class Bianca Jones, 16th TRS student, and Airman 1st Class Brayden Scott, 16th TRS student, show off their homemade tortillas and sopapillas during a cooking class Nov. 7, 2020, on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The cooking class was available to Airmen and their families as part of an initiative to connect them with the culture and activities that Alamogordo has to offer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Denise Ottaviano.)

Holloman AFB Hosts Cooking Class for Airmen and Families

Published Nov. 17, 2020
By Denise Ottaviano
49th Wing Public Affairs

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- 49th Wing leadership prioritizes ways to connect Airmen and families with the local community. One example of collaborating with the community was the recent initiative with MainGate United, a sub-committee of the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce.

Holloman and MainGate United hosted a cooking class for Airmen and their families here, Nov. 7, 2020. Annette Candelaria-Joyner, Mountain View Middle School culinary arts instructor, provided a hands-on lesson on how to make two New Mexico favorites, tortillas and sopapillas.

“It was a pleasure to teach this class and have our military experience a part of our culture here in New Mexico,” said Candelaria-Joyner. “Having classes like this on base is a great community effort. I have a son who served in the Army and is a wounded warrior, so supporting the military in this way is very fulfilling.”

In effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, in-class participation was limited, but Airmen and families were able to watch the class live through social media.

Step-by-step instructions provided class participants with a recipe for the classic tortilla. Candelaria-Joyner even provided her homemade pomegranate jelly and whipped butter to top the tortillas.

“I loved the class. It reminded me of when I was young when my dad and I would try to make tortillas,” said Airman 1st Class Brayden Scott, 16th Training Squadron student. “I can’t wait to go home and make them myself.”

Attendees also made sopapillas, a tortilla-type deep-fried pastry served as either part of a main dish, or as a dessert covered in honey or powdered sugar.

A variety of activities are planned to expose our Team Holloman community to the culture and activities that Alamogordo has to offer. Don’t miss the next virtual cooking class on Dec. 12, on how to cook biscochitos, a popular New Mexican cookie.

Be sure to follow the Holloman AFB Diversity and Inclusion Facebook page for more information at: https://www.facebook.com/HollomanAFBDiversityandInclusion.

For any questions or inquiries email 49WG.HollomanDiversity.TaskForce@us.af.mil