Clock Tower Cafe continues to prove its excellence

Story and photo by Rabia Coombs
405th Army Field Support Brigade
The Clock Tower Café dining facility team at Kleber Kaserne, Kaiserslautern, was presented with the U.S. Army Europe-level Phillip A. Connelly Award, Jan. 11. The Philip A. Connelly award was established in 1968 to encourage outstanding professionalism in Army food service teams and recognize excellent performance. The dining facility will compete for the 2019 Department of the Army-level Connelly Award as one of the six finalists in March.

The Clock Tower Café dining facility at Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, was presented with the U.S. Army Europe-level Phillip A. Connelly Award, Jan. 11.

Col. Grant L. Morris, commander 405th Army Field Support Battalion and Lt. Col. Jason A. Berdou, commander 21st Theater Sustainment Special Troops Battalion, presented the culinary award to Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Morris, dining facility manager, 66th Transportation Company, and his team recognizing their continued excellence in providing Army food services to the Kaiserslautern community. The dining facility won the Department of the Army-level Philip A. Connelly Award in 2016, was runner-up in 2018 and will compete for the 2019 Department of the Army-level Connelly Award as one of the six finalists in March.

“Your reputation proceeds you year after year,” Berdou said. “You provide a chance for Soldiers,  civilians and family members to get together, break bread, laugh, sometimes cry, reflect and relish. You provide nutritious meals and nutrition for their spirit. It is an incredible honor to present this award to you today.”

The Philip A. Connelly award was established in 1968 to encourage outstanding professionalism of Army food service teams and recognize excellent performance. The evaluation of nine food service criteria which include food quality, overall cleanliness, and appearance of the dining facility.

“A lot of planning and organization goes into running a successful dining facility,” said Capt. Sarah Levy, commander 66th Transportation Company. “Most of us do not consider the hard work, dedication, and expertise required to provide such products of professionalism.”

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brock Sanders, U.S. Army Europe senior food service advisor and one of the judges, acknowledged the team’s continued high-performance standard.

“You provide stellar performance every day not just during Connelly (evaluation),” Sanders said. “This award symbolizes the hard work and dedication this dining facility staff exhibited every day.”

The Clock Tower Café dining facility is a team comprised of Soldiers and  civilians of 405th AFSB, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, 30th Medical Brigade, 66th Transportation Company and augmented by contractors.

“An organization bringing this prestigious award home is impressive,” Col. Morris said. “A team encompassing so many different organizations winning the award, proves true teamwork and excellence.”

Teamwork and command support are the main ingredients of the award-winning team’s success, according to Sgt. 1st Class Morris.

“We have a collaboration of Soldiers and  civilians of multiple backgrounds and experiences,” he said. “Everyone is open, accommodating and willing to work as a team. We have a great command support system. Teamwork and command investment in the dining facility allows us to be successful and achieve new levels of excellence.”