Airman Appreciation Meal draws hundreds of Airmen

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Nearly 300 gourmet meals were served during the newly redesigned Airman Appreciation Meal at the Bandit Inn dining facility here March 11.

The meal featured tomato soup, top loin steak, breaded fried shrimp, roasted honey ham and a dessert.

"We've served 78 people alone before the first [dinner] hour was complete," said Staff Sgt. Rhodello Nuval, 28th Services Squadron food service supervisor. "Normally we only serve about 200 meals for the entire dinner shift."

This meal, served in an ambiance of candlelit tables and featuring Ellsworth's senior leadership serving, also showcased some of the creativity of the Bandit Inn's own chefs.

Airman 1st Class Jose Arroyo, 28 SVS food service apprentice, crafted the checkerboard cake at the dessert bonanza bar. The cake is comprised of vanilla and chocolate cake mixed together, baked in a checkerboard pattern and topped with vanilla frosting.

"This dessert took two days to make," Airman Arroyo said. "It took five regular cake batters to make one whole checkerboard cake but it's also the one [dessert] that seems to be going the fastest," he said, sporting a proud grin.

"I guess next time I'll make two of them," Airman Arroyo said.

The "next time" Airman Arroyo is referring to is definitely in the Bandit Inn's future plans.

"It'll be no problem putting this on again," Sergeant Nuval said. "I'm very pleased with the turnout and the support from the rest of the wing. It's great to see the interaction between leadership and the rest of the base community."

His boss agreed.

"We're definitely doing this again," said 1st Lt. Matthew Dunn, 28 SVS food service officer. "We bought 300 steaks for just this meal and I think we served every one of them. We plan to do this at least quarterly and my folks are excited about it."

Ellsworth's chefs were not the only ones excited about the newly revamped Airman Appreciation meal. Those sentiments were echoed by base leadership serving the meal.

"We've got some very talented people in this dining facility," said Col. Renita Alexander, 28th Mission Support Group commander, as she served the meal to Airmen entering the serving line. "Events like this really give us an opportunity to say 'thank you' to our younger Airmen.

"As leaders, our schedule is always very tight and sometimes we just forget to thank our people for all they do. But, we have that opportunity today and I'm glad to be here," Colonel Alexander said.

When Ellsworth's Airmen went through the serving line and had the great opportunity to converse with Ellsworth's senior leaders they were also treated to Colonel Alexander's fondness of all foods grown from the ground up.

"You know I'm pushing the vegetables!" she said.

Col. Peter Castor, 28th Bomb Wing vice commander, said he was very pleased at the way Ellsworth's services squadron put this event together.

"We had a great turnout for this event," he said. "The Bandit Inn received high praise from the Airmen for the delicious meal they prepared. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this event and spend more time with our young Airmen."

Lieutenant Dunn said in addition to the quarterly appreciation meals, Ellsworth can still look forward to base leadership interacting with Bandit Inn patrons during major holidays.

The next event on the horizon for Ellsworth's chefs is the upcoming menu board, where Airmen will have the opportunity to tell the Bandit Inn what they would like to see more or less of in the dining facility.

"The menu board will start in mid-April," Lieutenant Dunn said. "We'll send out more information through the first sergeants."

In its daily operation, the Bandit Inn has a staff of specialists that prepare nearly 600-meals a day, menus two weeks in advance, and operate a massive storeroom dedicated solely to the dining facility.