Airman Martina Kellums, 442nd Force Support Squadron, serves a meal to an Airman at the Ozark Inn dining facility on March 14, 2012. Kellums was selected through the Culinary Excellence Program to attend a one-week course at the Culinary Institute of America at Napa Valley, Calif. The 442nd FSS is part of the 442nd Fighter Wing, an A-10 Thunderbolt II Air Force Reserve unit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Wesley Wright)
Airman Martina Kellums, 442nd Force Support Squadron, was selected through the culinary excellence program to attend a one-week course at the Culinary Institute of America at Napa Valley, Calif. The 442nd FSS is part of the 442nd Fighter Wing, an A-10 Thunderbolt II Air Force Reserve unit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (U.S. Air Force/courtesy photo)
3/15/2012 - WHITEMAN AFB, Mo. -- A 442nd Force Support Squadron reservist was recently selected to represent the Air Force Reserve at a weeklong seminar at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif.
"It's a dream I have had my entire life, one of several goals, and I have accomplished them all," Airman Martina Kellums said. In the service just six months, she enlisted because joining the military had always been one of her dreams.
Kellums thinks the Reserve allows members to focus on their families and civilian careers without the stresses that may come while on active duty.
Senior Master Sgt. Brian Denny, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command, said the selection process for this seminar is competitive; units submit a package on their sharpest Airmen at or below the rank of technical sergeant.
These packages are then reviewed by AFRC headquarters.
Gerald Cardinal, AFRC Services chief, has final say on those selected. Two Airmen are selected from this process and two are selected from the food service excellence program evaluations conducted each year.
Denny said he believes attending this course will help Kellums, and thus, the unit.
"Airman Kellums will have the opportunity to learn from and pick the brains of some of the best and most well know chefs and hospitality industry leaders in the country," Denny said. "This is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity, and she can bring her experiences and what she learns back to the unit to share."
Kellums said she believes attending this event will help broaden her skills and help accomplish the 442nd mission of training and deploying ready reservists. By making better food, morale can be improved, and food-service facilities can attract business from members who get the nutrients they need to perform their jobs well, she said.
