Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Justin Smith | Culinary specialists from LaRochelle Dining Facility pose for a photo with Army Brig....... read more read more
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Culinary specialists from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) LaRochelle Dining Facility claimed first place in this year’s Fort Carson Garrison Philip A. Connelly Award at the James R. Wolf Dining Facility here on Oct. 17. The annual award recognizes the best dining facilities across multiple food service categories.
Winning such an important award doesn’t come easy. It takes long hours, painstaking effort and a creative approach to set oneself apart from their peers. It is a challenge that the staff at LaRochelle eagerly attack, taking innovation to a new level by utilizing techniques uncommon in the Army food-service community.
“We’re doing a level of cooking that isn’t done Army-wide,” said Army Staff Sgt. Jemima Thornton, the administrative non-commissioned officer in charge at LaRochelle. “We’re at a restaurant level, where we bring food to the table. That captured everybody’s attention, which boosted our wining position.”
Another technique they utilize is the “Bridge the Gap” program, where culinary specialists from LaRochelle take part in 45-day internships with participating restaurants in the Colorado Springs area and receive intensive training in areas such as food preparation and presentation. The culmination of the internship is a chef’s tasting where 10th Group leadership is invited to the restaurant and enjoy a multi-course meal from a menu created by the Soldiers.
So far, culinary specialists have completed internships at places like IV by Brother Luck and the Wobbly Olive, training under highly skilled professional chefs. Using the skills they’ve acquired, the paratroopers brought back new methods of not only cooking and presentation, but in serving the food itself.
Some of those at LaRochelle credit this program with giving them the edge to take the Garrison Connelly award this year.
“The 45-day internship allowed me to gain so much knowledge outside Army food service,” said Army Spc. Daniel Penueta, a culinary specialist from 10th Group who trained under celebrity chef, Brother Luck, at his restaurant. “We currently have two other soldiers at other restaurants and the knowledge they bring back will create yet another different mindset than we’re traditionally used to.”
Another unique feature to the DFAC’s success is their working relationship with 10th Group’s dietitian, Kelsey Bailey-Worth, who is on the staff of the Tactical Human Optimization, Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning (THOR3) program for Group. She works closely with LaRochelle to build menus that feature tasty food geared toward high performance and nutrition.
“The model is to show that healthy food can and should taste really good,” said Bailey-Worth. “You should be adding creativity, and that helps with the palate and fullness so that you have more satisfaction from the food that you’re eating.”
These unique resources coupled with teamwork and out-of-the-box thinking have been a recipe for success at LaRochelle. Their innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed by their peer dining facilities on Fort Carson either. Other culinary specialists have paid visits to the Group compound to gain experience on how to make their own DFAC’s better.
Even with all these outside experiences, operating an award-wining DFAC takes hours of hard work and discipline. The staff at LaRochelle work tirelessly every day to ensure that everything from the food to the cleanliness of the facility is top notch. This consistency can only be pulled off with teamwork. No person is an island, and the culinary specialists know that success can only be truly achieved if everyone works together.
“Those Soldiers that I worked with are outstanding,” said Thornton. “They are willing to accomplish anything that you need from them, and they will go above and beyond what is the norm for them to be successful.”
The work isn’t over for LaRochelle, they will continually strive to be better and more creative in their craft. Next year, they hope to progress further in the competition by winning the regional and national Connelly awards. If their performance this year is any indicator, then they are well on their way.
“I’m their biggest supporter,” said Bailey-Worth. “So when they crush it and work really hard, it’s an awesome feeling.”
| Date Taken: | 10.17.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2018 12:55 |
| Story ID: | 297871 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, LaRochelle DFAC earns high honor, by SFC Justin Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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