Chiefs, Eagles and Cajun Eats – Taste of the NFL Touch Downs in New Orleans

Taste of the NFL will be spicing things up in the Big Easy with a Louisiana-inspired celebration of football, food, and philanthropy, all to support GENYOUth’s mission to tackle student hunger and food insecurity. 

Just hours before the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles face off in Super Bowl LIX, this culinary event will bring together football fans and food enthusiasts alike.


Photo courtesy National WWII Museum in New Orleans

Presented by Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation, Taste of the NFL will be held during Super Bowl LIX Weekend – February 8, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CST, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

The culinary gang returns with a stellar line-up of world-renowned chefs and homegrown culinary talent who have helped propel New Orleans to the top ranks of U.S. food destinations.

Taste of the NFL will serve up a sophisticated, global blend of local cuisines curated by event hosts, Chefs Andrew Zimmern, Carla Hall, Tim Love, Lasheeda Perry, and Mark Bucher.

Shown here: Restaurant R’evolution photo courtesy Taste of the NFL


With over 20 locally loved Louisiana chefs representing New Orleans finest restaurants including Restaurant R’evolution, Brennan’s, Rosedale, Restaurant August, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, Crawbabies, Zasu, Acme Oyster House, Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar,  Medium Rare, Palace Café, Sticks N’ Things, and Deelightful Roux School of Cooking; as well as Tamela Davis, celebrated New Orleans chef and wife of New Orleans Saints Player Demario Davis, who will also be in attendance along with Chef Ron Duprat, Circle House Coffee, Hellmann’s, and Bayou Scratch Kitchen. 

Taste of the NFL’s game-day flavor will be further elevated by PepsiCo’s Chef Steven Dominguez, Associate Research Chef and Culinary Lead, and Chef Charlene Gladden,  Senior Research Chef and Culinary Lead; along with local food talents including Jackie Diazof Jamaican Jerk House, Vyoone Lewis of Vyoone’s, Serigne Mbaye of Dakar Nola, and Alfred Singleton of Café Sbisa, who all represent the PepsiCo Foundation’s Restaurant Accelerator program, in partnership with the National Urban League.

To date, the Restaurant Accelerator program has provided grants, training, and mentoring to 39 restaurants across the state of Louisiana. Additional Taste of the NFL culinary talent will include Chef Thomas Wenrich, Senior Director of Culinary at Tyson Foods; Chef John Capon, honorary Walmart big game chef, and Chef Justin Timineri, Certified Executive Chef at Fresh From Florida.

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Adding gridiron sizzle to this unprecedented culinary gathering will be over 30 NFL Legends including Doug Flutie, Kyle Rudolph, Stephen Tulloch, Mark “Mighty Mouse” McMillian (who will also be at Taste of the NFL as a chef from Grillin’ McMillian) and Demario Davis, among other NFL greats.

Joining this illustrious group will be James “JB” Brown, host of “The NFL Today” on CBS. Taste of the NFL will also be sweetened by a special dessert-tasting area paired with ice-cold milk, curated by Taste of the NFL marquee chef Lasheeda Perry, and including delectables from Flava King NOLA, NoLa Cookie Co., Cupcake Fairies, Adrian’s Bakery, Louisiana Pralines, Unikakes, Dough Nyuyerner’s Bakery, and Grey Bird Bakery.

Taste of the NFL attendees will enjoy autograph-signing sessions with NFL greats¹, curated cocktails, a live auction for Super Bowl LIX tickets, a silent sports memorabilia auction, a unique fundraising “lunchbox” wall presented by Walmart, and special FEED gift bags sponsored by Lay’s for all guests. Entertainment will be provided by talented musicians from Southern University, along with other surprise and delight moments. Second Harvest of Southeast Louisiana will support food recovery efforts.

Raising critical funds for GENYOUth’s commitment to tackling food insecurity, net proceeds will benefit GENYOUth’s efforts to end student hunger by supporting school nutrition programs and delivering critical school meal equipment packages to high-need schools throughout Louisiana. Proceeds will support school nutrition programs with equipment grants in all 32 NFL Club markets across the nation.

“Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation are thrilled to stand alongside GENYOUth in helping to make a real difference for children and families in need,” said Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo North America. “PepsiCo is deeply committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve, and we’re excited to partner once again with GENYOUth’s Taste of the NFL event and its closely connected Super School Meals initiative. As part of our mission, we are dedicated to fighting food insecurity and improving access to nutrition across the country.”

Photo courtesy GENYouth

“With 1 in 5 U.S. children facing food insecurity, GENYOUth’s mission to help all kids thrive through nutrition and physical activity is more urgent than ever,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. “Schools nourish 30 million students daily with healthy meals including milk, fruit, vegetables, whole grain, and lean protein, but they need support. We are deeply grateful to America’s Dairy Farmers, the NFL, and our purpose-driven partners for backing GENYOUth programs like Taste of the NFL and Super School Meals, ensuring hunger doesn’t stand in the way of learning.”

“The NFL is proud of our longstanding Super Bowl partnership with GENYOUth and our shared commitment to improving the health and well-being of America’s youth,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, International & League Events. “This year, we are excited to embrace the rich culinary history of New Orleans at Taste of the NFL, bringing together the collective NFL family to raise vital funds to tackle food insecurity and provide school meals to children in Louisiana and across the country.”

Taste of the NFL is made possible through the support of the NFL and presenting sponsors Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation; NFL sponsors Doritos®, Gallo, Lay’s®, Pepsi Zero Sugar®, Tide®,  and Tostitos®; GENYOUth End Student Hunger partners Undeniably Dairy, Dairy MAX, Walmart, Tyson Foods, Hellmann’s®, HORMEL® Original Pepperoni, Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls™, Oikos® Greek Yogurt, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Fresh From Florida program, Cox’s Seafood, Cintas Corporation, Louisiana Seafood, Dunamis Premium Spirits, Lifeway Kefir, Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines, Hook’s Cheese Company, FARE, FEED, The Times Picayune/NOLA.com, FOX 8, Yelp, and New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. www.TasteoftheNFL.com 

Author: Jackson Roberts

Just a Good Old Man Who Loves His Dogs l jackson@dtla-weekly.com