JN: It’s a partnership with Levy and the Lions and a lot of the relationships were relationships I had in the industry, and we kind of mapped out what we want to do. As the Detroit food scene has evolved quickly the last 10 years, I've tried to match that step by step.įoodable: Was the localization push your initiative or Levy Restaurants’? Sugar House craft cocktails, Michigan craft beers. The biggest thing that's changed for us is localization of the menus and by that I mean we not only brought in local flavors into the stadium that are signature things of Michigan or the Detroit area, but most significantly we brought in Detroit brands (and other chefs) such as Slows, Bigalora (Wood Fired Pizza), Russell Street Deli, Zingerman's Creamery, Mercury Burger Bar. We were kind of on the forefront of that because we had a relatively new stadium … we had Super Bowl that year and we had a lot of folks from all over the country come in for Super Bowl … and we had a lot of high-profile events. Joe Nader: At that point when I got into this business, the stadiums were evolving at a fast pace - that was kind of when things were changing a lot in the industry. How has the food evolved under your leadership? House Committee on Agriculture.īelow, Nader talks to Foodable about partnering with local brands, how Ford Field has been at the forefront of stadium trends, and the shift from tailgate culture.įoodable: You’ve been at Ford Field since 2005. When he’s not feeding 65,000 on game day, he’s also advocating for childhood nutrition and food access for all Detroiters. The following year he was promoted to executive chef after Super Bowl XL. Prior to that, he was working in California where he honed his chops in the fast-paced, upscale boutique hospitality industry. Nader has been at Ford Field since 2005, when he returned to his native Detroit to take a job as executive sous chef for Levy Restaurants at Ford Field. These are things you come to expect in Detroit … that’s really what the local thing means to me, creating signature dishes or signature items or iconic brands that bring in the fans.” “You can't come to Detroit and not have a coney dog, right? These are signature things … it doesn’t make any sense if you're coming in to a game for the Lions and you can't get a proper coney dog or you’re not gonna get Slows Bar BQ. “What we're talking about is local brands and signature foods,” says Nader, who is the executive chef at Levy Restaurants at Ford Field in Detroit where he oversees every aspect of foodservice in the 65,000-seat stadium, including 132 luxury suites, five mini restaurants, 40-plus general concessions, The Hall of Legends Restaurant, and catering. It’s not just about sourcing food from urban gardens and farms (which is important, of course) - it goes beyond that. Local food is a trend that’s not going away, but for chef Joe Nader, that word gets tossed around a lot.
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