I want to bring up an important subject.  I want to talk to you about a very important day in the lives of Americans across the United States.  It is a day of celebration, it is a day of drinking beer and indulging in finger foods, it is a day of very expensive commercial breaks.  I’m talking about Superbowl Sunday!Ok, so maybe a lot of Philadelphians tried to forget the Superbowl this year, but for the rest of us game day is a long time tradition.  All of our friends get together under one roof, the one with the largest tv set, to eat chicken wings by the pound and nachos topped with all the colors of the rainbow.

But this year I wanted something extra; I wanted to impress everyone.  I decided that Superbowl 2012 would be the year of style and amazement.   Obviously I couldn’t just invite my friends and family over to serve them plain chicken wings.  So for just that reason, COOK dedicated a class to proper tailgating on Superbowl Sunday with none other than local Top Chef winner, Kevin Sbraga.

Kevin opened up his eponymous restaurant at Broad and Pine Streets in mid-October and has been busy ever since.  Sbraga needed a wingman for the class and was able to convince his good friend, Winston Justice of the Philadelphia Eagles, someone who is no stranger to all things football.  The combination of the two equated to a very funny and entertaining evening.  Looking at those two standing side by side  made me feel I was watching Billy Crystal standing next to that big dude in the movie “My Giant”.

Winston showed up a little late causing Kevin to reprimand him on the importance of timeliness in a restaurant.  Oh, those two!

After Winston got a lesson on how to use a spatula correctly the courses began to flow.  We feasted on feta and spinach sliders, filled our bellies with bison chili, and in between Kevin made us his special ranch dressing popcorn and his famous guacamole.   As we got fuller we also got more hungry for gossip.  “What really happens when the cameras stop rolling?” Shouted one person  “What is Padma like in real life?” Asked one curious gent.  Winston wasn’t off the hook during the Q & A portion, many questions regarding the locker room and player personalities arose.  I won’t be able to divulge any of the answers here, this is one of the perks of attending a class at COOK.

This class taught me a lot on how to host a great tailgating event, it’s all about quality food and good company.  Even though it is easier than I previously thought, I think I’ll just pick up the phone next year and call Sbraga Restaurant to place my order cause I just don’t think I can pimp it better then Kevin.