JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph's Rendezvous Dining Facility will be closed for renovation starting June 1, but a series of cooking classes that begin this week will provide Airmen with the culinary skills to cook their own meals in the interim.
The JBSA-Randolph Chiefs' Group and the Human Performance Resource Center, formerly the Health and Wellness Center, are sponsoring "Dorm to Gourm" classes beginning at 6 p.m. April 3 at the chapel annex.
"The idea is that there are going to be regular sessions that will teach Airmen quick, inexpensive and healthy meals that they can cook themselves while the DFAC is under renovation," Shae Peters, HPRC Health Promotions Program coordinator, said.
The two-hour-long sessions will be conducted three Fridays a month, she said. Other sessions this month are planned April 17 and 24.
Sessions will be led by Dianna Ackerley, the wife of a retired Air Force colonel, who has planned and cooked for promotions, spouse welcomes, pilot training graduations, farewells, impromptu events and wing events throughout her husband's 33-year career. She also has three years' experience teaching a cooking class for the Williams-Sonoma retail company.
Ackerley, who is donating her services for the Dorm to Gourm series, has teaching experience at JBSA-Randolph as well, including classes at the HPRC and for the Protestant Women of the Chapel, and cooking demonstrations at the Military & Family Readiness Center for the spouses of deployed military members.
"My goal for the cooking classes for the Airmen is to provide them with basic cooking skills that are quick, healthy and cost-effective," she said. "I also want to teach them how to equip a basic kitchen and use resources like the exchange, commissary and HPRC for their education and support as they learn to cook."
Peters said Chief Master Sgt. Peter Padilla, chiefs' group president, approached her and said the organization would like to participate in the sponsorship of healthy cooking demonstrations.
"The primary idea was to provide a development opportunity for our dorm residents in teaching healthy cooking on a budget," Padilla said. "The timing could not be better as the DFAC is now scheduled to be closed starting June 1."
Padilla said the sessions are consistent with the chiefs' group's 2015 theme, "LEADership Matters," with LEAD standing for Lead, Empower/Educate, Advancement and Development.
"One of our primary roles for our assigned enlisted is their morale, welfare and health," he said. "We are taking the opportunity to not only be a part of their professional development, but with their personal development as well.
"We will assist with funding and definitely take the opportunity to teach some classes," Padilla added.
Ackerley said she also hopes to "get the Airmen excited about cooking, giving them confidence in the tools I give them and hopefully taking what they have learned into their future as spouses and parents to cook good, wholesome food that is healthy, budget-friendly and tasty."
She said her classes will "have a twist of humor, lots of stories of my cooking experiences and a simple approach that helps individuals not be intimidated by recipes, cooking techniques or their abilities."
Ackerley said some of her ideas for themes are "Packing a Healthy Lunch," "Crockpot Ideas" and "Three Meals from a Rotisserie Chicken," but she also wants Airmen to give feedback on what they would like to cook.
Airmen will also be provided with a packet of recipes that are taught during each session to further aid their development as cooks, Peters said.
Padilla said the classes represent an opportunity to provide basic culinary skills that will last beyond the military.
"The JBSA-Randolph Chiefs' Group is excited about the opportunity and look forward to a sustainable program that will benefit our dorm residents for years to come," he said.
Ackerley said she is "honored" to be part of the series.
"I love the opportunity to give back to the military community," she said. "And if this is my God-given talent, then I want to use it in the best way I can."
For more information, call the HPRC at 652-2300.