While you assume again to the final sporting occasion you attended. You’ll most definitely keep in mind the part you sat in, who received or loss and even a memorable spotlight that you simply nonetheless speak about to today. Nonetheless, whereas these reminiscences stick with us, probably the most necessary facets of any fan expertise is the least mentioned once we look again and that’s the meals and drinks we devour whereas having fun with these moments.
Jon Cowan is Sodexo Stay!’s government chef at Onerous Rock Stadium in Miami and has over 25 years of expertise within the lodge, nation membership, restaurant, and now sports activities and leisure trade. From Dolphins and Hurricanes soccer to the System 1 Miami Grand Prix, Rolling Loud and several other occasions, he goals to be sure that followers are having fun with what’s on their plate simply as a lot because the leisure.
Cowan was one of many chef’s chosen by Sodexo Stay! to supervise the meals and beverage operations on the French Open at some point of the match. He spoke with Muscle & Health on the expertise, how the meals and beverage trade has modified and what goes into ensuring that your eating wants are met whenever you go to Onerous Rock Stadium.
Meals is a Massive Deal
The meals and beverage part is a giant issue particularly right here in Miami and a number of the Sodexo Stay operations. Right here in Miami, a number of the individuals come for simply the present and meals and beverage expertise. They arrive for soccer first, however the meals is a large a part of it. That’s why us cooks and the those who work for Sodexo Stay need them to come back and have a very nice expertise at Onerous Rock Stadium or another venue that we function.
Sodexo Stay!
Menu Choice is a 12 months-Spherical Course of
We’re redoing all of the suites menus presently. So, we’ll do tastings, prep within the kitchen, transfer it as much as the suites, ensure that the structure is sweet, ensure that all of the meals suits within the correct locations. We’ll have our friends style them. We’ll usher in some Dolphins workers to do a tasting for them as effectively. It’s a year-round course of simply to ensure we’ve got the most effective merchandise and finest visitor expertise within the stadium. For our golf equipment and concession stands, it’s the identical factor. We do tastings, discuss to purveyors to seek out the correct merchandise we wish to use. We work with a produce firm to get native, recent, and as many Florida-grown merchandise as we are able to. Sourcing regionally and sustainability is a large a part of Sodexo Stay!
In my earlier stops, I labored for giant resorts, nation golf equipment and I labored in a couple of eating places. The distinction between that and that is simply the large endeavor it takes to place every part collectively so far as the logistics, planning, staffing, menu writing, assembly with purchasers — simply to have the ability to pull off the most effective meals doable. We work with purveyors who present native components. There may be nothing like the push main as much as the soccer sport. Identical to the gamers, us as cooks we wish the identical factor and that’s to win the sport. You wish to have a profitable service and profitable sport. Even when the soccer crew doesn’t win, at the very least on the culinary and meals and beverage facet, we do.
I stroll your complete stadium in the course of the sport. I’ll stroll with different cooks, discuss to company to get as a lot suggestions as doable. Strolling by The 72 Membership, The 9, greeting company — lots of people will flag us down as a result of they’ll see us within the humorous, white chef jackets. Many of the suggestions is absolutely optimistic. Some individuals wish to know the place the upper finish issues are, or they’ll give strategies on what they wish to see on the menu subsequent time. We additionally fulfill particular requests for visitor as effectively. If there’s a strictly vegan particular person or somebody on a more healthy food plan, we’ve got so many choices within the stadium that we are able to all the time discover them one thing to eat.
Signature Dishes
Should you’re in considered one of our premium areas, The 72 Membership is the place to be or The 9, which may be very unique. Within the 72 Membership, we serve a giant chef’s desk buffet with a carving station. Every part from sushi to ceviche, rooster wings sliders, full recent pizzas, and prime rib. We put that out for about 800 individuals each sport. I believe for the individuals in that membership, they arrive for the eating expertise as effectively. For the concession facet, something Latin base. We now have some nice empanadas and Cuban sandwiches.
Meals Prep For Completely different Occasions
We now have to work with our purchasers. We now have conferences beforehand on what sort of menu we’re attempting to construct. I work with my crew, the meals and beverage director, and our company cooks and we come to an settlement on what model of service we’re going to do. Whether or not it’s for a premium buffet. We additionally have a look at if we’re serving in air situation, can it maintain up within the warmth. All of these components go into writing a menu. We wish the company to come back in and be wowed. All of them our very totally different occasions. You might have those who come to the sport to look at soccer and a few individuals who simply need the meals.
Sodexo Stay!
Tackling Meals Allergy symptoms
We work with an organization known as FARE. We opened a non-allergen kitchen within the stadium. Solely I and two different individuals on the culinary crew are licensed to prepare dinner in there. We get inspected by FARE and it’s similar to a well being inspection, the place they’re ensuring we’re sourcing the correct product from the correct purveyors. Should you’re getting a barista oat milk, you’re ensuring that oat milk is definitely gluten free. It’s contacting the manufacture of it as effectively. More often than not, not all of the components are listed on a number of the merchandise. It’s a very particular mission that we’ve labored on that I bought licensed in. A number of children have peanut allergic reactions and that’s an enormous one. There’s additionally shellfish and eggs. They will really pre-order off of the menu once they’re arriving to the stadium. Lots of people which have these meals intolerances, they type of find out about this system now.
Xavier Rousseau
Bringing Again a Piece of Paris
It was actually good from a private {and professional} Sodexo Stay expertise. It was phenomenal. It’s actually the primary time that Sodexo Stay! is constructing this relationship to work with the French nationwide crew and Sodexo France. From the start once they requested me to go, I used to be tremendous excited. That was proper after the Miami Open. I bought by F1 after which took the journey to France. I had a very nice expertise so far as working with the restaurant, it was slightly bit totally different as a result of in being an government chef at Onerous Rock stadium, I’m type of the controller of the culinary crew. Strolling into a distinct venue, not talking the language was an adjustment. I simply listened to them and the way we may take tidbits of what they do there and produce it to Sodexo in North America.
There are solely 4 grand slams and I bought to go to 1. French delicacies is clearly slightly bit totally different than American delicacies. They use a number of recent merchandise, and so they combine components collectively to take advantage of flavorful dishes. With it being a tennis match, there have been a number of wholesome choices. There was a pleasant natural carrot soup that we served. It had slightly sprint of cream and a few roasted hazelnuts. We served casserole sea bream with some tarragon, cherry tomatoes, completed with some olive oil and sea salt. Croque monsieur is served nearly all over the place in Paris and France. They made an avocado croque monsieur with slightly little bit of pistachio cream, mint, coriander, topped it off with slightly layer of cheese on high, served good and heat with a summer season salad. For dessert, there was a carpaccio with some pineapple that was marinated. Just a little little bit of cilantro and we served it with some agave, ice cream and roasted nuts.
