Top of the Rock Meals To-Go service offers patrons alternative holiday dining options

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Carissa Wolff
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Team Andersen's Top of the Rock offers a service that allows families to spend less time in the kitchen and more time together and helps deployed personnel feel at home -- Holiday Meals To-Go.

This year is the third consecutive year the Holiday Meals To-Go program has been available at Andersen. Dee Hollenbeck, Top of the Rock manager, said she benchmarked the idea from her last assignment.

"We did this program at my last base, and it worked really well, because most people want good home-cooked meal without spending all day in the kitchen to get it," she said.

This year there are two different holiday meals--one featuring turkey and the other ham. The meals, which serve six to eight people, include sides of homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, buttered corn, rolls with butter and the choice of Waldorf or Ambrosia salad. The meals also come with dessert of apple and pumpkin pie.

The costs of the meals differ slightly-- the turkey dinner costs $68 and the ham dinner is $75. Patrons can add a ham to the turkey dinner for an additional $25. Patrons may also add extra sides or swap sides for additional charges.

The Top of the Rock staff prepares the meals and stores the food in heat and serve containers a day prior to pick up. The patron simply has to place the meals in the oven to heat them up. The service includes detailed instructions on food preparation and heating levels for warming the meal.

Last year's Holiday Meals To-Go was a success during Thanksgiving with approximately 100 meals purchased. Sales this year have already doubled.

"As of Nov. 3, we have 230 meals already ordered," said Ms. Hollenbeck. "There will be five staff members making all of the meals on Nov. 25."

Not only are the Holiday Meals To-Go quick and easy to make they are good too.

"The meal was great and I would recommend it to anyone who didn't particularly want to cook or if they were to have a lot of people come over to their house during the holidays," said Maj. Glenn Basso, 36th Contracting Squadron commander. "The food was really good and the servings were very large."

For more information or to order a Holiday Meal To-Go, call 366-6166. All orders must be placed by 4 p.m. Nov. 21. Meal pick up is from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Nov. 26.