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Taste Of NFL Brings Out Stars, Appetites

Tribune photo by JEFF HOUCK

Miss America 2009 Katie Stam chats with chef Tom Colicchio, head judge on the Bravo TV show "Top Chef" during The Taste of the NFL event at Tropicana Field.

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By JEFF HOUCK

jhouck@tampatrib.com

Published: January 31, 2009

Updated: 01/31/2009 09:16 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - They call The Taste of the NFL culinary extravaganza a "party with a purpose" for the tens of thousands of dollars it raises for hunger relief groups.

Tonight, glitz took center stage as thousands filled Tropicana Field to drink premium wines, gorge on delicious food prepared by chefs from the NFL's 32 cities and meet football greats and Hall of Fame players up close.

As cavernous as The Trop can be, the baseball home of the Tampa Bay Rays took on an intimate feel with dimmed lighting and moody spotlights painting hues on the domed roof.

A clot of limousines near the outfield atrium entrance hinted at the star power of the guests inside. In addition to such NFL legends as former Miami Dolphins quarterback Earl Morrall and Hall of Fame Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood, guests pegged actor Michael Keaton and Rays manager Joe Maddon for photos and autographs. Over at the "Top Chef" cooking station, Miss America Katie Stam hobnobbed with the show's judge, chef Tom Colicchio.

As for the sumptuous food, chef Marty Blitz represented Tampa Bay by dishing out sautéed calamari with shitake mushrooms, Thai chiles and an edamame soy glaze. It is Blitz's 16th year of participating in The Taste as Tampa's representative restaurant.

"The event has grown a lot, but so have I as I've learned what food travels well," Blitz said.

Like Blitz, many of the chefs have been longtime participants, enjoying the prestige of being associated with an internationally famous sporting event.

New Orleans chef Susan Spicer remembers the first Taste in 1991 in Minneapolis when the event took place in the suburbs in a hotel lobby. The chefs got together afterward and shared corn squeezins.

"We all kind of bonded after that, knowing that we had started something that did a lot of good for people," she said.

The crawfish curry she dished over a bed of rice was a way of bringing a little New Orleans flavor to Tampa.

"I like to show off our food from home," she said. "I grew up eating curry. Plus, there's some friendly competition among the 32 chefs."

Buccaneers chef Mike Beadles sampled the fare with his wife, April. He said the cooking he saw inspired him.

"This is the only event I wanted to go to all week," Beadles said.

Reporter Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324.

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