Casino Del Sol and chef Ryan Clark are looking for Tucson’s best tailgate cooks to compete in the upcoming Sol Bowl Tailgate Championship starting on Saturday, September 11.
This year’s first grilling battle is taking place in the tailgate section of the Main UA Campus Mall before the team’s first home football game of the season. The following competitions will fire things up before the other five home games.
“This is one of my favorite times of the year,” said chef Clark. “We saw some really great dishes during the first Sol Bowl, and I’m sure this year won’t be any different. I’m a Tucson native, a huge football fan and my love of food runs deep, so what better way to celebrate the start of the football season than with some tasty burgers and some creative tailgate dishes from fans?”
Each week prior to the Wildcats’ home game, chef Clark will share a unique burger recipe at casinodelsol.com, and that burger will also be featured at Prema — Casino Del Sol’s lobby lounge. After that, he’ll be on the hunt for the best tailgate dishes to crown one winner as the Sol Bowl Tailgate Champion of the Week.
Here’s how the competition works:
- The weekly competition will take place at each of the six home games at Arizona Stadium
- Make sure to register online before the game
- You must be at least 21 years old
- You’ll need to have tickets to the game and an official “tailgating location” at the tailgate section of the UA Main Campus Mall
- Three hours before kickoff, chef Clark will be at the tailgate section looking for tailgaters to showcase their “best game day masterpieces”
- He’ll taste one dish from each contestant and select the weekly winner as the Sol Bowl Tailgate Champion of the Week
Each week’s winner will join chef Clark on the field during the game to be presented with an official Sol Bowl chef’s apron from Chef Works and $350 in gift cards from Casino Del Sol and local food purveyors.
2021 Home Game Schedule
- September 11: San Diego State
- September 18: Northern Arizona
- October 9: UCLA
- October 22: Washington
- November 6: California
- November 13: Utah
For each week’s featured Prema burger recipe, visit casinodelsol.com and be sure to register online before each game if you’d like to compete.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
