Chef Jon Cowan Shares His Menu-making Ideas at America’s prime Venues

Once you assume again to the final sporting occasion you attended. You’ll almost certainly bear in mind the part you sat in, who gained or loss and even a memorable spotlight that you just nonetheless speak about to today. Nonetheless, whereas these recollections stick with us, one of the crucial necessary points 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 Dwell!’s government chef at Laborious Rock Stadium in Miami and has over 25 years of expertise within the resort, nation membership, restaurant, and now sports activities and leisure business. From Dolphins and Hurricanes soccer to the Formulation 1 Miami Grand Prix, Rolling Loud and a number of other occasions, he goals to ensure 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 Dwell! to supervise the meals and beverage operations on the French Open throughout the match. He spoke with Muscle & Health on the expertise, how the meals and beverage business has modified and what goes into ensuring that your eating wants are met if you go to Laborious Rock Stadium.

Meals is a Massive Deal

The meals and beverage part is an enormous issue particularly right here in Miami and a variety of the Sodexo Dwell operations. Right here in Miami, a variety of the folks come for simply the present and meals and beverage expertise. They arrive for soccer first, however the meals is a big a part of it. That’s why us cooks and the people who work for Sodexo Dwell need them to come back and have a very nice expertise at Laborious Rock Stadium or another venue that we function.

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, make certain the format is nice, make certain 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 nicely. It’s a year-round course of simply to ensure we’ve got one of the best merchandise and greatest visitor expertise within the stadium. For our golf equipment and concession stands, it’s the identical factor. We do tastings, discuss to purveyors to search out the correct merchandise we wish to use. We work with a produce firm to get native, contemporary, and as many Florida-grown merchandise as we will. Sourcing regionally and sustainability is a big a part of Sodexo Dwell!

In my earlier stops, I labored for giant inns, nation golf equipment and I labored in a number of eating places. The distinction between that and that is simply the huge endeavor it takes to place all the pieces collectively so far as the logistics, planning, staffing, menu writing, assembly with shoppers — simply to have the ability to pull off one of the best meals doable. We work with purveyors who present native substances. There’s nothing like the push main as much as the soccer recreation. Similar to the gamers, us as cooks we would like the identical factor and that’s to win the sport. You wish to have a profitable service and profitable recreation. Even when the soccer group doesn’t win, no less than on the culinary and meals and beverage facet, we do.

I stroll your entire stadium through the recreation. I’ll stroll with different cooks, discuss to friends to get as a lot suggestions as doable. Strolling by way of The 72 Membership, The 9, greeting friends — 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 basically constructive. Some folks wish to know the place the upper finish issues are, or they’ll give options on what they wish to see on the menu subsequent time. We additionally fulfill particular requests for visitor as nicely. If there’s a strictly vegan individual or somebody on a more healthy weight loss program, we’ve got so many choices within the stadium that we will 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 could be very unique. Within the 72 Membership, we serve an enormous chef’s desk buffet with a carving station. Every part from sushi to ceviche, hen wings sliders, full contemporary pizzas, and prime rib. We put that out for about 800 folks each recreation. I feel for the folks in that membership, they arrive for the eating expertise as nicely. For the concession facet, something Latin base. Now we have some nice empanadas and Cuban sandwiches.

Meals Prep For Completely different Occasions

Now we have to work with our shoppers. Now we have conferences beforehand on what sort of menu we’re attempting to construct. I work with my group, the meals and beverage director, and our company cooks and we come to an settlement on what fashion 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 would like the friends to come back in and be wowed. All of them our very completely different occasions. You might have people who come to the sport to observe soccer and a few individuals who simply need the meals.

Tackling Meals Allergic reactions

We work with an organization referred to as FARE. We opened a non-allergen kitchen inside the stadium. Solely I and two different folks on the culinary group are licensed to cook 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 nicely. More often than not, not all of the substances are listed on a variety of the merchandise. It’s a very particular venture that we’ve labored on that I obtained licensed in. Quite a lot of children have peanut allergy symptoms and that’s an enormous one. There’s additionally shellfish and eggs. They’ll truly pre-order off of the menu after they’re arriving to the stadium. Lots of people which have these meals intolerances, they form of find out about this system now.

Bringing Again a Piece of Paris

It was actually good from a private {and professional} Sodexo Dwell expertise. It was phenomenal. It’s actually the primary time that Sodexo Dwell! is constructing this relationship to work with the French nationwide group and Sodexo France. From the start after they requested me to go, I used to be tremendous excited. That was proper after the Miami Open. I obtained by way of F1 after which took the journey to France. I had a very nice expertise so far as working with the restaurant, it was a bit bit completely different as a result of in being an government chef at Laborious Rock stadium, I’m form of the controller of the culinary group. 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 obtained to go to at least one. French delicacies is clearly a bit bit completely different than American delicacies. They use a variety of contemporary merchandise, they usually combine substances collectively to take advantage of flavorful dishes. With it being a tennis match, there have been a variety of wholesome choices. There was a pleasant natural carrot soup that we served. It had a bit 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 in all places in Paris and France. They made an avocado croque monsieur with a bit little bit of pistachio cream, mint, coriander, topped it off with a bit layer of cheese on prime, served good and heat with a summer time salad. For dessert, there was a carpaccio with some pineapple that was marinated. A bit little bit of cilantro and we served it with some agave, ice cream and roasted nuts.