Last November I attended the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan and thanks to the great folks at Levy Restaurants and Finn Partners, I was able to meet Executive Chef Joe Nader and learn about the wonderful culinary offerings. that the stadium has available to its customers.
Food at sporting events has long been considered expensive and boring, with staples like popcorn, hot dogs, pizza and nachos usually leading the way. In recent years, however, companies like Levy Restaurants, which operate concessions and restaurants in more than 100 locations around the world, have begun taking stadium dining to the next level.
Although staple foods remain popular on game day (Ford Field sells approximately 10,000 hot dogs per game), Chef Nader strives to provide quality food at restaurants throughout the stadium. Doing this on game day is no easy feat. Usually the chef and his team start at 4 am and work until the stadium is cleared. This includes preparing all food for the 132 luxury suites, the Hall of Legends restaurant with the famous Chef’s Table, all general concessions, various in-stadium concept restaurants, and catering for media, teams, and referees.
It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes to speak with Chef Nader to realize how much passion he has for what he does and the product he and his team are delivering. He is not only passionate about what he is putting out, but also where he comes from. He told me that using local products and partnering with local establishments was very important to him. It uses a Detroit staple, Faygo pop, in its Rock and Rye Brisket Sandwich ($12 with fries), they have a Michigan Craft Beer stand in the stadium ($9 for a beer compared to $8.50 for Bud products), and they have partnered with a number of local establishments, including Slows Bar-BQ, Charlie Sanders’ Gourmet BBQ Sauce, Hungry Howie’s Pizza and American Coney Island to bring a distinctive taste of Detroit to Ford Field attendees.
Had the pleasure of trying out a couple of items while at the stadium. At the recommendation of Chef Nader, I had the DFC Carvery’s Corned Beef and Swiss Deli Sandwich in the South Club area. Whichever way you’re judging a sandwich, this thing was the real deal. It was packed with quality corned beef and came with a side of $12 fries. At that price it is comparable to what you would pay anywhere else for something of this quality.
I also tried one of the Extreme Loaded Dogs, which is one of the newer concepts in the general concession area. Covered hotdogs have become a very popular alternative to the basic ballpark dog, and at a slightly higher price ($7.50), I think you get a little more bang for your buck. I chose “The Heater,” which features a perfectly cooked hot dog from the Dearborn Sausage Company, topped with buffalo wing sauce and a blue cheese slaw. Although it was a bit messy to eat, it delivers on its promise. It’s loaded with coleslaw that has chunks of blue cheese and the spiciness of the Buffalo Wing sauce is a perfect complement.
Dearborn Sausage Company is another Michigan local purveyor and this year has become the official hot dog of the Detroit Lions. The quality of the product is so good that I would challenge anyone to find another hot dog anywhere this good.
You can’t talk about the Detroit Lions and Ford Field without mentioning Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions have hosted the annual Thanksgiving pageant since 1934, and last year’s game against Houston was the 73rd in team history. Chef Nader had some special things planned as usual for Thanksgiving. At his Chef’s Table, he presented a Thanksgiving station with all the fixings and also served over 1,000 giant turkey legs throughout the stadium.
If you’re headed to Ford Field in the future, don’t just fill up at the tailgate, get to the stadium early and check out some of the great food available.
I would like to send a special thanks to Chef Joe Nader for being so gracious with his time and to Sarah Janousek of Finn Partners for making this all happen.
