When it comes to the Super Bowl, almost everyone can get behind one of America’s favorite sports days of the year for different reasons — whether it’s supporting your favorite team to take home the ultimate trophy, the infamous halftime show, the million dollar ads, or even the delicious party food.
But if you’re tired of the same game day foods, maybe it’s time to up your game on your kitchen skills! Every year when Super Bowl Sunday comes around, ICC President Erik Murnighan plans a special party menu designed around the two teams playing in the game, or the host stadium where the game is held. A graduate of ICC’s Professional Culinary Arts program, he’s not shy about putting his culinary techniques to work in the kitchen! Since every city has a distinct food culture, it’s easy to design a menu inspired by the food of the team’s hometown.
With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, it’s time to start your menu planning. Below, check out some of the on-theme dishes that Murnighan has prepared in the past and what he’s planning for this year’s game!
PREVIOUS GAME DAY FAVORITES
NEW ORLEANS - SHRIMP ÉTOUFFÉE
New Orleans is known for a lot of different foods — gumbo, jambalaya, and po-boys to name a few. But, you can’t think of NOLA without thinking about it’s delicious seafood. In 2010, when New Orleans won the Super Bowl, Murnighan cooked up a Shrimp Étouffée to satisfy the seafood lovers at his party. Last year when Chef Aarón Sánchez visited ICC to debut his memoir "Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef," he demonstrated his Shellfish Étouffée recipe that WOW-ed our jam-packed audience. His pro-tip? Make sure that your roux is dark in color, it will give the dish more flavor!
PITTSBURGH - THE PRIMANTI BROTHERS SANDWICH
Primanti Brothers is synonymous with Pittsburgh. Founded in 1933, the famous sandwich chain is known for its signature sandwiches of grilled meat, melted cheese, an oil & vinegar-based coleslaw, tomato slices, and French fries between two thick slices of Italian bread. In 2011, when Pittsburgh was up against Green Bay in the Super Bowl, Murnighan re-created the famous Primanti Brothers sandwiches right in his very own kitchen. Though Pittsburgh lost that year, the sandwiches were a huge hit! To achieve the perfect sandwich, Murnighan recommends making your own homemade french fries right at home and making sure that the oil is hot enough before frying — this prevents greasy fries!
THE 2020 GAME PLAN
KANSAS CITY - KANSAS CITY BBQ
As early as the 1900s, Kansas City has been known for their sweet and smoky barbecue. The city’s first barbecue master, Henry Perry, was known for smoking meats for hours on a bed of oak and hickory wood — not much different from how it is today! While you may not be able to smoke your meat outside in the cold weather months, you can still achieve the perfect Kansas City barbecue in your oven. For this year’s Super Bowl, Murnighan is making saucy Kansas City barbecue ribs and homemade smoked sausage to honor the Midwest’s famous smoked meats and cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs!
SAN FRANCISCO - CIOPPINO
Cioppino — a tomato based, fish stew — originated in San Francisco in the late 1800s. Fishermen would often use whatever was left over from the day’s catch to make the stew, like clams, crab and shrimp. Even though Cioppino is a delicious and hearty stew for the cold, a bowl of stew is not the first food that comes to mind when thinking about Super Bowl food. Luckily, many dishes were invented in San Francisco, like sourdough bread! In the early 1800s, miners realized that the bread they were making in San Francisco had an unusual sour taste. Eventually, scientists discovered the strain of bacteria that causes that iconic taste and named it “L. sanfranciscensis.” To honor the origins of this famous bread, Erik is making homemade sourdough bread for a grilled cheese station! That way, vegetarians and grilled cheese lovers will all be satisfied. But we encourage you to elevate your game day food with a Cioppino to cheer for the 49-ers too!
Pair with cocktails from ICE's mixologist.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.
