SAN ANTONIO -- More than a dozen cooks lined the aisles in one of four large, brightly-lit teaching kitchens that are part of the Culinary Institute of America’s, also known as CIA, San Antonio campus. Weaving gracefully between stations, the group worked quickly; each candidate intently focused on the task at hand.
The group is a blend of active-duty Air Force and Nonappropriated Fund, also known as NAF, employees, from installations across the globe attending a week-long Advanced Culinary Skills course Oct. 5-9.
“The course is one of six available through a partnership between the CIA and Air Force Services Activity Food & Beverage Division,” said Sally Truhitte, the program manager.
“This is university-level training from professional culinary instructors,” Truhitte said. “The cooking and preparation techniques each candidate learns will help them with food operations at their home station. Candidates become more aware of the business operations of a kitchen and the reasons why efficiency is very important.”
Feeding upward of 1,000 Airmen each day, Staff Sgt. Jacquelyne Ford, a food service shift leader with the 325th Force Support Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, sees each meal as an opportunity to make Airmen feel at home.
“Giving the customers quality service—that is what’s most important to us,” Ford said.
Ford plans to share the skills she learned at the CIA course with her team at Tyndall.
At the Woodlawn Golf Course at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, hosting special events requires more than just cooking the meal, said Phyllis Smith, Woodlawn’s operations facility manager.
“Presentation is really the most important thing,” Smith said. “People eat with their eyes.”
Smith looks forward to taking the skills in presentation and flavor enhancement she learned during her week at the CIA campus here back to her kitchen as well.
“Showcase your goods; make (the food) look appealing to the eye,” Smith said. “Everything you do down to the smallest detail is very important.”
For the past five years, the AFSVA Food & Beverage Division has provided funding for four to five courses a year, sending between 12 to 16 students to each course. Truhitte hopes to grow the program which would allow more food and beverage specialist from across the Air Force to participate.
“The feedback from our candidates is that they love the course, and they would like to see the training longer than a week,” Truhitte said.
In addition to earning credits that are transferable towards a culinary education, Truhitte considers the course a morale and confidence booster for those who attend.
“Our candidates obtain the skills and hands-on experience which makes them more efficient, provide better food service, and create an enjoyable food experience for our Airmen, both at their home station and in the wartime environment,” she said.
“These courses are an investment in our people,” Truhitte added. “That’s a win-win for everybody.