The Super Bowl’s Ultimate Foodie Party: Superstar Chefs, Major Celebrities and Happy VIPs Feast

Gastronomy and football collided at the 26th annual Taste of the NFL‘s Party With a Purpose, where a flurry of food lovers descended upon University of Houston’s campus for a flavor-packed night in the PWP Pavilion.

The sold-out crowd, which was comprised of nearly 3,000 guests, included major celebrities, hunger relief activists, and some of America’s premier culinary talent including the night’s celebrity chef hosts Richard Blais, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Andrew Zimmern.

The powerhouse trio joined 32 chefs — who were each paired with an NFL team and football player rep — in creating pre-game bites representative of their designated NFL city.

Standout dishes included chef Beau MacMillan (Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort) and the Arizona Cardinals’ black truffle and foie gras panna cotta with cracked pepper caramel; chef Bradley Schmidt (Andiamo) and the Detroit Lions’ cider-braised pork served with sweet potato latkes, pickled cabbage, and apple slaw; chef Michael McKinney (Restaurant Orsay) and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roasted lamb belly with celery root puree with radish and warm mushroom salad; chef Taku Sato (Nobu 57) and the New York Jets’ salmon pastrami with yuzu honey mustard; and chef Jeff Tunks (PassionFish) the Washington Redskins’ Chesapeake surf & turf — Maryland hot crab dip with pork cracklins.

But our favorite dish of the night goes to Houston’s own chef Robert del Grande (Cafe Annie) and the Houston Texans, who presented a flavorful, flat-iron steak with beef crackling and egg salad.

To enjoy the night’s bevy of bites, VIPs were seated in a sprawling outdoor dining room erected between the two event tents. Flowing food and wine was followed by a finale performance by country music group The Band Perry.

One hundred percent of the night’s proceeds benefit food banks and pantries across the 32 NFL cities.

The Seen: Celebrity chef Anne Burrell, gold-medal olympian Simone Biles, actress Alyssa Milano, WWE Superstar Danielle Moinet, Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields, NFL player James Anderson, model Carissa Rosario and original Houston Texan Chester Pitts