Feeding thousands of personnel across Exercise Pitch Black took planning, precision and a multinational team working behind the scenes to keep people fed, morale high and the mission moving.

At RAAF Base Darwin, Warrant Officer Christopher Bainrot and the 13 Squadron catering team enabled operations across four kitchens, including the Officers’ Mess, Sergeants’ Mess, Airmen’s Mess and in-flight kitchen, as well as two Grab and Go facilities.

Warrant Officer Bainrot, a caterer with 37 years of service in the Royal Australian Air Force, said the team averaged 3600 meals a day during Exercise Pitch Black, not including aircraft requirements.

“To date, we have provided more than 68,000 meals through all our facilities for Pitch Black,” Warrant Officer Bainrot said.

“By the time all our domestic and foreign force participants have departed after the close of Pitch Black, we expect to be around the 80,000-meal mark, including in-flights.”

One of the standout initiatives was the Grab and Go facilities, serving about 650 lunches a day and reducing pressure on the main dining facilities.

“The Grab and Go Facility has been the big news story for Pitch Black,” he said.

Behind the operation was a workforce of 125 personnel, including Air Force chefs, reservists, logistics specialists, Ventia staff and civilian chefs.

'Tim Tams are our secret weapon for good diplomacy.'

The team was augmented by chefs from Canada, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, creating a multinational kitchen that reflected the spirit of Pitch Black.

Working side-by-side in the Officers’ Mess, chefs from the Royal Australian Air Force, Canadian Armed Forces, British Armed Forces and New Zealand Defence Force shared knowledge, recipes and professional experiences while delivering catering for the exercise. 

The relationships built in the kitchen extended beyond meal service, with members of the multinational catering team taking the opportunity to visit participating aircraft and engage with partner nations across the flight line. 

One such visit brought the chefs together with Indonesian Air Force personnel in front of an Indonesian Air Force T-50i Golden Eagle aircraft, highlighting the connections forged throughout the exercise.

The multinational team also contributed to menu development, helping cater for a wide range of dietary, cultural and religious requirements.

Menus featured everything from Asian street food and Mediterranean cuisine to Indian-inspired meals developed to support visiting forces.

Warrant Officer Bainrot said quality catering was a critical enabler of both mission success and international engagement.

“Keeping our exercise participants happy with a good plate of nutritional food and full bellies results in high output directly contributing to mission success,” Warrant Officer Bainrot said.

He said some of the most valuable international engagements occurred around the dining table.

“Sometimes the best decisions, talks and international engagements between foreign star-ranking officers do not happen behind closed doors, but rather with everyone seated and enjoying fine food and good conversation,” he said.

“Tim Tams are our secret weapon for good diplomacy.”