DALLAS – Greater than 70 set up, Air Drive Providers Middle and trade culinary consultants gathered right here April 11-13 to debate present and future Meals 2.0 eating operations with a objective of delivering higher, quicker menu choices to patrons.
With the Meals 2.0 House owners Summit held in an revolutionary kitchen setting, attendees additionally had the chance to see demonstrations of state-of-the-art culinary tools and style meals ready by seasoned cooks utilizing varied cooking strategies.
Meals 2.0 is part of the AFSVC’s Wholesome Meals Initiative, which delivers improved, more healthy meals choices for Airmen, Guardians and every other patrons who can entry an set up, mentioned Jim Krueger, AFSVC’s Division of the Air Drive Meals and Beverage Division chief.
“We modernize eating services and improve meals choices to ship tasty meals when, the place and the way Airmen and Guardians want it,” added Jim Gill, AFSVC chief of Meals 2.0 portfolio administration.
This consists of “end in entrance” service stations like customized pizza and deli stations, revolutionary know-how to organize menu objects quick and recent whereas patrons wait, and sturdy stations like breakfast yogurt bars, salad bars, and “seize & go” meals and snacks.
The DAF has 43 Meals 2.0 places at 27 installations, and the subsequent roll-out is Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, this summer time. Moreover, the meals staff is within the planning phases to doubtlessly convert one other seven installations to Meals 2.0 operations.
One summit attendee, Capt. Lily Dollarhide, is the fifth Drive Assist Squadron Sustainment Providers Flight commander at Minot AFB, North Dakota. The captain mentioned her prospects recognize the big selection of meals and pace of service that Meals 2.0 supplies.
“It delivers a whole lot of selection for our prospects, to allow them to get something from fish and shrimp to baked potatoes, vegetarian and vegan choices in a location that’s fairly distant,” Dollarhide mentioned. “Quite a lot of our Airmen are working within the area (and) they’re working within the chilly, in order that number of consuming someplace for 3 meals a day with one thing completely different each time is large.
“Simply this morning, we obtained a touch upon our Interactive Buyer Analysis system that mentioned, ‘the rooster shawarma is the most effective that I’ve had in a number of years, and I simply love the range and pace of service within the eating facility,’ in order that’s one thing. In North Dakota, you’re not going to seek out a lot rooster shawarma and at a quicker tempo,” she mentioned.
Moreover, in contrast to legacy eating facility operations the place the services are closed between conventional breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight meals, Meals 2.0 services are open 96 hours every week together with between meals.
“The hours are an enormous deal,” Gill mentioned. “If an Airman can’t make it in for breakfast or the lunch meal, for instance, he can are available in between meals or seize a ‘Merely to go’ meal at any time all through the day with Meals 2.0.”
Not prepared to relaxation on their accomplishments, the AFSVC meals and beverage groups plans to broaden this system with new installations and innovate at installations already working with 2.0.
“Proper now, we’re going via a pilot program at Barksdale AFB (Louisiana) the place we’ve been weighing salads and so far, it’s been very profitable. Clients appear to love it and it has a greater impact on our price of products on the DFAC,” Gill mentioned.
The staff is at present working funding and plan to roll salad scales out to each Meals 2.0 operation sooner or later.
Gill and his staff even have a pilot program underway at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, for reusable takeout containers.
“Yearly, we spend hundreds of {dollars} on disposable carryout containers. They’re not solely costly however they’re dangerous for the setting as properly,” Gill mentioned.
If the six-month trial continues to achieve success, “we plan to roll that program out to the opposite installations as properly,” he mentioned.
Along with nutritious, tasty choices for patrons within the entrance of DFACs, Meals 2.0 delivers superior culinary coaching for navy and civilian meals service professionals behind DFACs with an government chef at every location, offered by trade companions Aramark or Sodexo.
“One of many issues I recognize as a chief grasp sergeant is that these Meals 2.0 platforms are additionally warfighting platforms for our providers Airmen to get the essential culinary abilities they should assist us mission air energy within the area. Meaning after they go down vary, they know how one can produce high quality meals for our Airmen within the area,” mentioned Chief Grasp Sgt. Learie Gaitan, AFSVC senior enlisted chief.
Outdoors of the DFAC, Airmen and Guardians may reap the benefits of campus eating at nonappropriated fund places at varied installations. This consists of locations like bowling facilities, golf programs and golf equipment.
“In lots of circumstances, our NAF meals service actions wrestle to keep up solvency,” mentioned Brian DeCamp, AFSVC chief of NAF meals and beverage. “With Meals 2.0 campus eating, our patrons and NAF services are benefiting from the flexibleness this system supplies.”
“The Division of the Air Drive is thought for air superiority, however our primary asset will not be our planes, not our bombs, not our missiles … it’s our Airmen and Guardians,” Gaitan mentioned “So with regards to fueling the pressure, the meals our Airmen and Guardians eat daily is essential to how we’re capable of mission air energy for our nation.
“With Meals 2.0, we’ve raised our sport and while you go to a Meals 2.0 location throughout the continental United States, you’ll see our Airmen creating wholesome, nutritious meals for our warfighters of all branches of service,” the chief added.
