Airman Appreciation Meal resurrected at Ellsworth

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The new, revamped Airman Appreciation Meal is scheduled to re-surface in the Bandit Inn Dining Facility here March 11 from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

"We're bringing it back to life," 1st Lt. Matthew Dunn, 28th Services Squadron food service officer said of the Airman Appreciation Meal. "We're making it bigger and better plus we can showcase our people's talent."

One of those talented people in the Bandit Hill Dining Facility is Airman 1st Class Jose Arroyo, 28th SVS food service apprentice.

"Today when I came in for work I prepared some items for breakfast, then I switched to baking," he said. "We made rice crispy treats, then some banana pudding and then started the Boston cream pies."

Using his culinary talents in the upcoming Airman Appreciation Meal is something Airman Arroyo is looking forward to.

"I love my job," Airman Arroyo said. "I've always enjoyed food service and took culinary arts in high school for three years.

"We normally follow the Air Force recipe system," Lieutenant Dunn said. "But for the Airman Appreciation meal we're featuring a dessert bonanza where our chefs are actually bringing in their own dessert recipes."

"It makes me feel better knowing I can exceed standards when I'm cooking," he explained.

The special meal the Bandit Inn is preparing for March 11 will give all of Ellsworth's chefs a chance to exceed those standards Airman Arroyo is referring to through their culinary arts.

Airman Arroyo said his contribution to the dessert bonanza will be a checkerboard cake, which features vanilla and chocolate cake combined and topped off with vanilla frosting.

"When you cut the cake, it'll look like a chocolate and vanilla checkerboard," Airman Arroyo said.

The chef Airman, originally from Puerto Rico and now hailing from Springfield, Mass., plans to experiment with another desert dubbed peanut butter blossoms just for the Airman Appreciation Meal.

This dish is new for the SVS chef and, according to Airman Arroyo, is mainly peanut butter and chocolate.

Lieutenant Dunn said the Airman Appreciation meal, primarily targeted for meal card holders but open to all enlisted members, will have an atmosphere common to what one may find at a five star restaurant.

"There will be a greeter at the door who will hand you a menu as you walk in," Lieutenant Dunn said. "We're doing a candlelight atmosphere for every table and wing leadership will be serving food.

"There will also be leadership serving at coffee and water stations in the dining area."

While wing leadership often volunteers to serve meals during the holiday period, Lieutenant Dunn said this meal will be special because it's designed for more dialogue between senior personnel and younger enlisted.

"There will be more interaction this time," Lieutenant Dunn said. "We have lots of volunteers to help with this (meal). Chiefs, shirts, commanders and even some captains and other NCOs have volunteered. I have more than 30 volunteers right now."

Airman Arroyo said the Airman Appreciation Meal will be good for him and his co-workers as well.

"This is not only a morale boost for the other Airmen on the base; it's a boost for our people too," he said. "We can do something different and give something extra to the base."

The menu for the Airman Appreciation Meal is scheduled to include: steak, shrimp, glazed ham, several assorted vegetables and starches as sides and the desert bonanza, which will feature 11 to 20 desserts.

In addition to planning the Airman Appreciation meal, the Bandit Inn prepares nearly 600 meals a day, manages a massive storeroom solely dedicated to inventory and plan each menu two weeks in advance.

Other senior NCOs, first sergeants or commander wishing to volunteer to be a part of the Airman Appreciation Meal may contact Lieutenant Dunn at 385-1320.