Chef given impossible task for AF 60th celebration

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  "Dinner: Impossible" Chef Robert Irvine looked a little nervous as 82nd Training Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux gave him his latest mission under the eyes of 500 watching Airmen.

The task for the host of the popular Food Network series: prepare a first-class meal for 1,000 Airmen, including 100 plated meals, for Sheppard's 60th Anniversary Air Force Ball in less than 10 hours.

"Chef Robert, can you accomplish this mission?" the general asked.

A former sailor in the British Royal, Irvine accepted--but with a little trepidation. Not because of the number of people, he said, but who he was cooking for and why.

"It's the 60th anniversary of the people - men and women - Airmen of the United States Air Force," Chef Robert said. "If I can't give them a meal that they will remember for a lifetime, I won't do it."

But Chef Robert wasn't alone. Several Sheppard Airmen were detailed to help, including 2nd Lt. Kevin Murphy, 80th Operations Support Squadron; Master Sgt. Dana Wood, 382nd Training Squadron; Master Sgt. Troy Kettell, 882nd Training Group; Master Sgt. Jennifer Isom, 82nd TRW Public Affairs; Tech. Sgt. Michelle Medford, 363rd TRS; Staff Sgt. Thomas Stabile, 882nd Training Support Squadron;  Staff Sgt. Mario Frank, 360th TRS; Airman Kayla McNown, 363rd TRS; and Ed "Big Ed" Williams, Work Services Corporation.

Perhaps the most important member of the team not whisking about the kitchen or slicing and dicing his way through the afternoon was the self-anointed "bad cop" of the day - Senior Master Sgt. Terry Neuharth, the superintendent of military training at Sheppard.

"It was very easy for me to go in and keep him on track," Sergeant Neuharth said. "I'm used to telling people to make things happen, not asking."

The senior military training leader entered the kitchen on several occasions, surveying the situation as he would with young Airmen under his charge. A few instances required him to confront the chef to assess the flow of culinary success and remind him of how the Air Force is accustomed to conducting business.

Sergeant Neuharth said his favorite encounter came as the clock was ticking down.

"I told him, 'We get bombs on target on time. Will you get food on plates on time?'" the sergeant said. "He said, 'Yes, I will make that happen.'"

The success of any mission in the Air Force comes down to the basic human elements and core values of the Air Force: excellence in all we do, service before self and integrity first. Sergeant Frank drew a parallel between his primary career field as a C-130 crew chief to explain the importance of the day's events.

"When we deploy, we have so many tons of cargo and people to move," he said. "If we don't get it done, we fail our mission."

Part of completing a mission is being flexible to any situation that arises. Sergeant Isom, originally tasked to simply be a public affairs escort to take Chef Robert to the site of the celebration and his kitchen for the day, was whisked away by the Chef Robert as part of his kitchen staff.

"I wasn't expecting to be part of the show other than performing my original duties," Sergeant Isom said. "Next thing I knew, I was putting an apron on and working on deserts for the dinner."

And so the day went for many Sheppard personnel who assisted wherever it was needed to help Chef Robert complete his mission. Movement of food from the central preparation kitchen to Hangar 1045, preparing a buffet line for 900 guests while 100 distinguished visitors received special plated meals was all that remained to try to make this mission possible.

But, the outcome of the one-day mission won't be revealed until it airs in January. But those involved in the production, from cooking and cleaning to serving as drivers for the camera crews, lived up to the Air Force's newest slogan - they truly did something amazing.