KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Love was in the air for the Defender Café Warrior Restaurant on Valentine’s Day when the dining facility was presented trophies by the 405th Army Field Support Brigade Feb. 14 for best garrison dining facility in Europe.
The 405th AFSB executive officer, Lt. Col. Oliver Davis, presented the 2021 Europe Philip A. Connelly Military Garrison Award Competition trophies to a team of food service specialists from 55th Quartermaster Company, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, who manage and operate the Defender Café Warrior Restaurant on Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern.
The Defender Café Warrior Restaurant will next represent U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the 405th AFSB in the upcoming 54th Annual Department of the Army Philip A. Connelly Competition. Representatives from the Army-level competition are in Kaiserslautern now judging Europe’s best dining facility for the next level of competition.
The 405th AFSB directs, manages and supports the Army’s Philip A. Connelly program for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. According to the program’s mission statement, it is the personification of food service excellence executed by culinary specialists resulting in the presentation of extremely gratifying dining experiences across all Army food service platforms in garrison and in field environments.
Jonathan Nolan is the food service program manager for the 405th AFSB. He said there are 13 garrison dining facilities in the U.S. Army Europe and Africa footprint, and each year during the 2nd quarter food service management meeting the 405th AFSB sets a date for the Europe-level competition and requests that all the dining facilities compete.
“It’s our program, and I know what is involved in getting these culinarians prepared to participate and to surpass the standards,” said Nolan. “I'm proud of the Defender Café Warrior Restaurant team for setting their sights high and making every effort to achieve their goals.”
“This team of food service specialists at Defender Café Warrior Restaurant are extremely dedicated to their craft and absolutely deserving of this recognition,” said Vic Martinez, the 405th AFSB Installation Logistics Directorate plans and operations officer. “I’m rooting for them to take home the Department of the Army trophy, next.”
In addition to their normal food service operations supporting hundreds of Soldiers and civilian employees at Rhine Ordnance Barracks on a day-to-day basis, the team from the Defender Café Warrior Restaurant also supported thousands of Afghan travelers during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome for several weeks last year.
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