|
Dining facilities prepare to serve
by Eve Meinhardt
Paraglide
| |
 |
| |
photo by Eve Meinhardt/Paraglide
Spc. Chassie Karnes, a cook at the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Dining Facility, puts the finishing touches on the gingerbread house that will be on display during the DFAC’s Thanksgiving meal. |
Thanksgiving originated as a three-day feast held by the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, celebrating a bountiful harvest in the fall of 1621. After Americans continued the tradition of thanks and feasting over the years, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November a national day of thanksgiving in 1863.
While the original three-day feast has been consolidated into one day, the amount of food Americans consume while giving thanks has increased dramatically since the first feast almost 400 years ago. To ready themselves for the demands of Thanksgiving Day, the dining facilities on Fort Bragg, farmers across the country and retailers began their preparations long before most of us even had our grocery list formed.
This year, dining facilities across Fort Bragg will be serving traditional holiday meals to the Soldiers and Families on Fort Bragg. Four facilities gave Soldiers a chance to start festivities early by offering feasts Tuesday and eight served turkey today. On Thanksgiving Day, the following facilities will be serving elaborate meals:
• 82nd Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Building C-6532, serving from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Abn. Div., Building D-3039, serving from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Womack Army Medical Center, Building 4-2817, serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The facilities will be competing against each other to gain honors as best dining facility based on food preparation and quality; proper holding and serving temperatures; sanitation; and decorations and displays. The DFAC with the highest overall score and the runner-up will receive a plaque. Evaluators will also award outstanding individuals with medals.
To help Fort Bragg’s food service professionals excel, the Culinary Arts Center hosted an ice carving class so the individual dining facilities could add ice sculptures to their holiday displays.
“The food service personnel are looking forward to showcasing their new found skills throughout the holiday period,” said James W. Ramey, a food service specialist with the Directorate of Logistics.
|
|
