It starts with passion for the game and then for the gathering of friends and clients.  It turns out that, win or lose, the tailgate is often the main event!

For me it started as a young man and my two or three pilgrimages a year to South Bend to see tailgating up close and personal.  The homemade grills, the generators, the amenities and the creativity of menus had me at “Hello!”  It was there that I found the first collapsible flag pole that could fly, 30 feet in the air, my Panthers flag, Notre Dame flag and even a third Jeff Gordon 24 on occasion.

Through the years my wife Robbin and I collected the tools of the trade and developed storage and packing systems in the garage that allowed us to spend more time creating the perfect menu for the week. We often have the most fun cooking a dish that the hometown of the visiting team is known for. Having grown up tailgating with the Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Pitt crowds, it was a whole new world coming to the South 20 years ago. Yes, a new bar was set at an LSU home game where it seemed that if you wanted to do your cooking in the chancellor’s front yard, all you needed was a cooker and you were good to go!

When I turned 50, I treated myself to a Blue Ridge Mountain Cookery hitch grill handmade in Waynesboro, Pa. It finally died after 10 years of hard work and was replaced just two weeks ago by one from the same company.

After careful planning the question of the day is always centered around the head count and who from our guest list will show up on time! Even though Robbin and I are responsible for the main dish, the side dishes that everyone contributes truly complete the theme of the day.  Chairs, tents, lanterns, cornhole, football, and all the setups are in place and ready at 9:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. kickoff.  It is work for sure, but if you have someone with the same passion, like my neighbor, Bob, it’s a seamless adventure.

A crisp cool morning, a slight breeze with the flags blowing in the Carolina blue sky, surrounded by people you love, with the smell of charcoal in the air … life is good. Mix in the drumbeat of the pep band warming up and the kids running to catch that perfect spiral from dad, and you have to agree that it just doesn’t get any better.

Everyone has diversions and hobbies that bring a smile to their faces. My love of tailgating started watching the Fighting Irish with my first cousin (a Holy Cross priest) who joined the seminary at ND when he was in high school. Remembering and maintaining the traditions I witnessed there, and at every college and professional game day Saturday and Sunday since, re-energizes me as I clean up and unload the Tahoe after the win or loss. The Titans are coming to town in a few days … what Tennessee tradition, when it comes to food, do we want to dish out?

By Pat Riley (President and Chief Operating Officer)