PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- For professional hockey players, it is the Stanley Cup. For professional soccer players, it is the World Cup. For professional golfers, it is the Green Jacket. For food service professionals at the Riverside Dining Facility, it is the John L. Hennessy Trophy.
For an unprecedented eighth consecutive year, the 45th Force Support Squadron is a top contender for the 64th annual Hennessy award, presented to the best food service program in the United States Air Force. Having garnered so much success in the last 20 years, the team is eager to prove to the evaluators that the new decade will be no different.
The Riverside Dining Facility fosters a unique partnership with Aramark, a notable food service cooperation, and the Brevard Achievement Center, a local organization that trains and provides work experience for adults with disabilities.
From January 27th to 28th, the Hennessy Award evaluators will be assessing the entire scope of our installation’s food service program. Rounding out the evaluation team are Chief Master Sergeant Brian Denny and Master Sergeant Shawanda Summers of the Air Force Services Center; Mr. Jim Wulforst, President of Golden Gate Ventures and Pamlico Charters; and Mr. Mike McCallum, President of McCallum, Inc. These four highly respected evaluators combine over half a century of food service expertise. Already beating out 28 installations, Patrick Air Force Base will now compete against Region 1 Finalists: Dover Air Force Base, Delaware; Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Moron Air Base, Spain.
In their journey to crown the Air Force’s “Best,” -- evaluators will carefully examine areas such as management effectiveness, force readiness support, food quality, employee and customer relations, resource conservation, and training and safety awareness. Major Elizabeth Cramer, 45th FSS commander, leaves no doubt in her team. “Although we gauge our success based on each customer that dines with us, the Hennessy evaluation will provide an excellent opportunity to validate to our food service professionals that their continuous hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed," said Kramer. "We are incredibly proud of our staff and look forward to bringing home the United States Space Force’s first win.”