MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION, MINN. -- MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION, Minn. -- The Hennessy evaluation team visited the 934th Airlift Wing, April 7, to evaluate Airmen from the 934th Force Support Squadron as part of the 2018 John L. Hennessy Award, which is the highest honor an Air Force Food Service program can attain.
Established in the 1950s, the Hennessy Award Program is an annual competition for bragging rights for the best food service program in the Air Force; essentially it is the Stanley Cup for food service organizations throughout the Air Force. However, for the Air Force Reserve, the competition is unique since evaluators are not judging operations in a dining facility, but rather in a SPEK (Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen) which is used to feed service members in field conditions.
The Food Service team was graded on areas such as presentation, sanitation, menu boards, production logs, teamwork, and wing leadership involvement. During the evaluation Airmen had the opportunity to speak with the judges and show off their skills and creativity within the SPEK.
One non-commissioned officer leading the charge during the evaluation was Tech. Sgt. Kimberlee Aquino, 934th FSS Food Service craftsman, who said, “We really want to showcase our skills and who we are as a team. So this competition is the best way to prove to not just to our unit but also everyone else Air Force wide that we have what it takes to not just fulfill a mission, but to provide excellent culinary service and food.”
For the service Airmen this completion was more than just a chance to prove themselves, it was also a chance to sharpen their skills to be ready to feed service members anytime, anywhere, in any condition.
“What we do here is exactly what we would do out in the field,” Aquino explained. “So all of these little challenges as far as weather, site surveying and population, are all part of the planning process when it comes to execution. Knowing that we can get it done here at home station only reinforces the fact that we have what it takes to get it done where ever you drop us. You could drop us in the middle of nowhere and if you give us this pallet and some food we will get the people fed.”
But for Chief Master Sgt. Dan Kelly, Air Force Reserve Command functional manager and competition judge, the Hennessy Award Program is a time honored tradition.“It has been going on for more than 60 years now and has become a legacy program,” Kelly explained. “It is the number one award for food services and most the prestigious award that we have in our career field since food has always been our anchor.”
But this award is more than obtaining ultimate bragging rights. It’s also the chance to travel to Chicago to accept the award at the National Restaurant Association's annual food show in May.
“At the end of this competition we’re going to pick a winner and those winners will be recognized by the National Restaurant Association,” said Kelly. “Additionally, we will pick a superior performer or two depending on how many slots we get. And the superior performers will get to go to the Culinary Institute of America in northern California for a week long training seminar, which is one of the most unbelievable events that you can even think of.”
As the judges finalize their evaluations over the next few days, the announcement of the winners will be made within the coming week. Whether the Airmen from the 934th Food Service team win or lose they are filled with a sense of pride with how well they worked as a team.
“Watching the Airmen throughout this competition I feel like a proud mom. I have never met such dedicated Airmen, and watching them I feel grateful at how well we work together to get the mission done,” Aquino reflected.
"Just making it to this level of the competition is an honor, said Lt. Col. Diane Burch, 934th Force Support Squadron commander. “This team showcased their readiness skills and did an amazing job despite some extreme conditions. I'm so proud of this team for what they've accomplished and I'm glad the inspectors got a chance to see them in action. This was definitely a team effort. We couldn't have been as successful as we were without the support of the entire base, so thank you."