Airmen from FSS learn to serve like the best

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Colin Cates
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Airmen stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Airmen completed a food and services course to sharpen their skills and learn new information March 1.

The main goal of the class was to educate the Airmen and release new information that is now becoming part of the food service operations, said Tech. Sgt. Vickie Davis, food and beverage manager for Headquarters, Food and Services, at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

"Working at the headquarters level, we release new information to become part of each base's operations and to make sure the Airmen understand what goes into daily operations in the facility including serving, storeroom and management," said Davis.

This course is to show the Airmen how to actually operate the front and back sides of the dining facility system and to take that new knowledge back to the work place to share it with other Airmen at the facility, said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Hass, food and beverage manager for Headquarters, Food and Services, Lackland AFB.

"Being a shift leader at work, the information I received here will definitely help, and I'm going to apply this information in the dining facility," said Senior Airman Raymond Soto-Pachecho, 49th Force Support Squadron Shifting Sands Dining Facility shift leader.

The Airmen who work in the kitchen are the ones who are doing most of the hands-on work, and therefore the ones who benefit most from this course, said Davis.

"The information I learned here I would not have learned just from being at the dining facility," said Soto-Pachecho.

The course was a four-day training which was broken down into 11 different classes, and was a combination of hands-on and bookwork, said Hass. The course included Airmen from the fitness center and the dining facility, as well as Airmen from Cannon AFB, said Hass.

"I believe four days is good amount of time for the course and allows us as instructors to teach the necessary information and for the Airmen to learn, but not take them from their workplace for a great amount of time," said Hass.

Cannon AFB brought three of their Airmen here to Holloman AFB to take part in the course. It was a great opportunity for the bases to work together by allowing their Airmen to take part in this course, said Hass.

"The class is offered at Lackland, the headquarters for the food and service department, but Holloman AFB took the initiative to actually bring myself and Sergeant Davis here to teach the course," she said.

The course was offered as a volunteer course, but if Airmen wanted to receive a special experience identifier in food services, the class was mandatory.

"The Air Force is introducing a program focusing on going green to support a fit Air Force," said Davis. The green program is about eating healthier."

"As military, we have to maintain a certain level of fitness along with eating right, and my job is to make sure the dining facility is helping the Airmen achieve that goal," said Soto-Pachecho.

The course is designed to refresh what the Airmen already know and gives the opportunity to update Airmen on any new information, said Hass.

"I enjoyed the class very much and learned a lot," said Soto-Pachecho. "The knowledge I learned from this course will benefit my career along with the Air Force. It was an overall great experience."