Ultimate Tailgate Party
Taste of the NFL unites Dallas Cowboys fans and culinary elite for a cause
This year’s Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party brought together two things North Texans can’t get enough of: food and football. Hundreds of attendees, rocking their best boots and bling, filled the Glass Cactus Nightclub in Grapevine to get a taste of both.
This beloved foodie event marked 10 years of tackling childhood hunger with the North Texas Food Bank. Former Dallas Cowboys Preston Pearson, Chad Hennings and Daryl Johnston, along with Abacus executive chef and proprietor Kent Rathbun, ensured guests were treated to a night of good food, dancing and, of course, fundraising.
Fans feasted at 18 food stations manned by some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s best chefs, including Eric Brandt of Bistro 31, Abraham Salum of Komali, Tim McLaughlin of Lockhart Smokehouse, T.J. Lengnick of Shinsei and Scott Gottlich of Second Floor. One of our favorite dishes was Old Hickory Steakhouse’s Texas fried quail and jalapeño cheese grits. Chocolate hazelnut cakes shaped like footballs were among the most memorable sweet endings.
It wouldn’t be a charitable event without a little auction action, and bidders couldn’t wait to see who would score the Texas Rangers VIP experience for four, which included batting practice, dinner with GM John Daniels and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Other notables on the scene were emcee Gina Miller, NTFB president and CEO Jan Pruitt, and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.
Before they departed, attendees snapped photo booth pics with the Lombardi Trophy and snagged mystery swag bags filled with Kendra Scott jewelry.
Taste of the NFL is a group of events held nationally that rallies the country’s top chefs and the NFL’s greatest to raise money in support of area food banks. Since its inception in 2005, Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party has raised more than $1.34 million for hungry North Texas children.