NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - After learning the basics of food service during technical training, 926th Force Support Squadron services students now attend a 90 to 120 day program focused on culinary practices at the Crosswinds Dining Facility at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Acting as an in-depth culinary addition to their basic instruction, the students receive on-the-job training alongside active duty 99th Force Support Squadron members in seasoning, food measurement, cooking, temperature control, and cleaning procedures.
“Our mission is to train our Airmen to be equipped with the necessary skills to deploy,” Senior Master Sgt. Cornell Jones, 926th FSS flight chief of sustainment services, said. “The seasonal training program enables us to accomplish this by integrating our Airmen into the active duty component, simultaneously supporting their manning levels while giving our new team members the training they need to get a head start in their career field.”
The four main focuses of the services career field are food service, lodging, readiness and fitness and sports. After creating a foundation in all four pillars at technical training, 926th FSS Airmen specialize in the food service core area.
“The Airmen who have been exposed to this program have often demonstrated better time management skills than their peers who were not,” Master Sgt. Jennifer Floyd, 926th FSS non-commissioned officer in charge of readiness home station training, said. “They deal with real people and real situations, and it sets them up to work in a live setting that doesn’t always follow what they’ve learned out of a textbook.”
Active since March, an average of three students are anticipated to engage in the program per quarter.
“I love to have the 926th FSS Airmen here and I hope this program continues for a long time,” Master Sgt. Adam Sorrell, the former Crosswinds Dining Facility manager, said. “Both sides gain training and can develop leadership by providing techniques and feedback to each other. And after the 90 to 120 days, the 926th FSS Airmen return to their unit with an extra set of tools under their belt. It’s a win-win situation.”
While the main focus of the 926th FSS is to supplement the training of new Airmen, they also provide additional support by acting as the Fitness Assessment Cell for the 926th Wing and 555th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer Squadron.