Dining facility feeds leaders of tomorrow

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates
  • Defense Media Activity-San Antonio
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS) --  For most dining facilities, the thought of feeding an entire wing at one time is not a pleasant one. For the staff at Mitchell Hall, the cadet dining facility at the United States Air Force Academy, this is simply business as usual. 

The dining facility, named after military aviation pioneer Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, is the largest in the Air Force and one of the largest in the world. The facility is a $15 million, three and one-half story structure in which more than 4,700 people can be served at one time. 

"We put a lot of food through here on any given day," said Frank Barfield, the dining facility's director. "For instance, to serve every cadet, we would need to cook more than 3,200 pounds of chicken fingers." 

The yearly numbers are just as impressive. Mitchell Hall personnel serve more than three million meals and prepare more than 100,000 box meals for cadet programs and club activities each year. Cadets also consume more than 374,000 gallons of milk, 376,000 gallons of juices and punch, 103,000 pounds of chicken, 23,340 pounds of peanut butter, 251,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables and 14,500 pounds of oatmeal annually. 

"Breakfast and lunch are mandatory meals," Mr. Barfield said. "So every cadet is present for these two meals." 

Fitting the entire student body into the facility is a remarkable feat. But, at nearly two acres and holding 474 tables, the dining area is easily able to hold the nearly 5,000 cadets. 

"There are 10 chairs at each table," said Veronica Vela, a member of the dining facility's staff. "If you do the math, that works out to a lot of places for people to sit." 

Cadets march into Mitchell Hall nine abreast through doors on the east and west ends. After they take their seats, they are served family style and finish the meal in 20 minutes. To serve the meals quickly, all cold food items -- bread, salad, beverages, etc. -- are placed on tables, and hot carts are positioned by the tables before the cadets arrive. One waiter is assigned to 10 tables, and the cadets receive their hot food within two and one-half to three minutes after sitting down. 

A first class cadet at each table is designated as the "table commandant." A fourth class cadet sits at the foot of the table and pours beverages and passes food. Even though they have these duties, the fourth-classmen cadets have plenty of time for a good meal. 

Feeding this horde isn't the only challenge, though. 

"Some of the cadets have special diets due to religious considerations or personal preferences," Mr. Barfield said. 

These cadets, such as vegetarians or those of the Muslim faith, are identified when they enroll at the academy and are then placed at a designated table in the dining facility. 

Ensuring the student body gets proper nutrition is another challenge. 

"A healthy mind is a strong mind," Ms. Vera said. 

So, to make sure the academy's cadets are sound of both mind and body, the dining facility has two nutritionists on staff who plan the meals and confirm they provide a balanced diet each day. 

"These cadets are college kids, after all," Mr. Barfield said. "If we let them, they'd probably eat cheese puffs and cheeseburgers every meal." 

Mitchell Hall operates on an $8.8 million annual food budget that is based on a daily ration allowance provided to each cadet. 

The dining facility is operated by nearly 200 civil service employees under the oversight of the 10th Services Division.

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