OmahaNebraska,com here with…
Katie Smith
So this is your first time in this position …
It’s my second year as the executive chef. I usually focus on the catering aspect at the CHI Health Center. That’s been transported here that I’ve focused on for the last seven years. I gave that responsibility to Alec [Woockman ], who you guys have all met before, and he is now the Executive Sous Chef of the CHI Health Center. So this is my second year doing it as a whole, but having more of a focus over here, it is the first.
I was wondering how you were able to do this, because I didn’t know whether the inside of the facility [had this capacity], so that makes a lot of sense.
Yeah. Look, there’s a lot of logistics. There’s a lot of working parts, and it’s something that we just have to work through every single year. We get better every single time. We are, I like to say, just a well-oiled machine because we’ve done this so many years, and we have the history of how we can do it, better and better. And I feel like we get better.
What are some of your new offerings this year and some stories on how it was devolped?
So this year I really started. After the last College World Series, I went to a Cub’s game for 4th of July and I was sitting and eating, and I realized how difficult it kind of was to eat in your seat. So my biggest focus this year was finding more items that are easier to eat and have a better guest experience while they’re sitting down in the bleachers.
But I do have quite a few different fan favorite foods, this year. We also did more of a focus on the 75th year of it being in Omaha. We have things that are focused around that right now and that is our Cuban burger. So a Cubano Cutter. It’s a specialty burger. And on the bun we branded it, so it has the 75 year logo branded on it. And then we also are doing that pork tenderloin. That was another one I kind of wanted to bring back. I wanted to bring back the midwest classic for the 75th year, kind of anniversary to showcase all the wonderful foodsin the midwest. I feel that the pork tenderloin is one of those that we do best. We are branding that bun too. So those would be in two separate locations. And then another item that I am super excited about this year is our “You are Killing e S’mores”.
That was something else I really wanted to try to focus on was finding more dessert options for the stands. It was something we kinda lacked each year. So, we’re taking more of a focus on the things that we can do better on: guest experience, creating new items that haven’t been able to execute before in the stands, so…We landed on a S’mores nacho. It is a churro chip loaded with marshmallow toppings, chocolate chips, toasted marshmallows and then graham cracker crumbs on the top of it.
It sounds wonderful.
Oh, I am so excited for everyone to try that one.
I’ve noticed a lot of items that are spicier this year. Can you tell us about that please?
Some of our themes you will see this year are a lot of ranch and a lot of pickles, too. This is kind of how the menu developed this year.
We do have a few different, spicier options, so we have the Heat Streak Brat. So that is sriracha aioli and fresh jalapenos on top of that. You have The Mac Attack, and that’s a chicken sandwich with a spicy pepper jack and mac and cheese bite right on top with a spicy ranch. We use the Chocolate Lightning from Volcanic Peppers’.
I was going to ask you about that. I’ve noticed that the store in Bellevue, Volcanic Peppers …
We use them. We work with them a lot. We use a lot of their different products. We have Dia De Sol. That is one of their best-sellers, and that’s on our NachOmaha, which is one of our best-sellers. We always try to showcase some of their new items. I always go and talk to them and then find out what’s new that year and then try to make something special.
Is there a question I haven’t asked you or something else you’d like to say?
Just come and try out our wonderful options that we have this year.
Thank you.
You are welcome
