CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Some may have noticed long lines forming in front of the Base Exchange around lunch-time recently. This is probably because Charleston AFB has a new doner kebab stand, the Donerstak (pronounced doner-steak), is similar to those found in Europe and specifically Germany. The stand was opened by a group that includes two 315th Airlift Wing Reservists and has been an immediate success.
Lt. Col. Keith Moore, 315 AW chief of safety, and Capt. Nathan Childers, 701st Airlift Squadron, opened the doner kebab stand along with two other friends.
The doner kebab is a traditional Turkish dish and is the origin of other similar Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes such as the gyro.
The resemblance in taste between the doner kebabs served here at Charleston AFB, and the doner kebabs served in Europe is no coincidence. The two entrepreneur Reservists accumulated thousands of miles researching their product.
"For 22 years I have been flying to Germany and every crew member has always talked about needing to bring the doner kebab back," said Colonel Moore. "We traveled to Munich, Germany and did a lot of research with the help of Dieter Felser. He pointed us to the many Turkish-based doner shops and doner meat processing plants. We traveled to Wisconsin to visit Bakalars Brothers Meats to meet Mike Bakalars, who was a meat processor for 20 years and was a big help. We also traveled to Toronto which has a large Turkish population to see how their doner business was run in the western world."
The research has apparently paid off, as many of the customers have commented that the doner kebabs made here are very similar to the ones found in Europe.
"While temporarily deployed to Germany a few years back we would drive almost 40 miles about three to four times a week to get a kebab at one of the Army bases," said Bailey Courson, a 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron supply technician. "The one I had today brought back some good memories. It was an excellent and filling meal; the taste was very much like the ones in Germany ... they are going to be sitting on a small goldmine."
The Donerstak will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and open on Saturdays and Sundays for Reservists' career weekends during the same hours.