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Food brings out crowds during event

Published 5/26/2009 in Beef Empire Days-Food

By LAURIE SISK

lsisk@gctelegram.com

Past attendees at Beef Empire Days are well aware that the event is chock-full of opportunities to enjoy a full range of beef-related cuisine, but the breakdown of just how much food is prepared and served may be surprising to some.

One of the most popular dining opportunities at the 11-day event is the free Roto-Mix Cattleman's Steak Cookout at noon Wednesday on the first day of Beef Empire Days.

Mark Cooksey, general manager of retail operations at Roto-Mix LLC, said his crew plans to cook for 550 people. That menu will include 14-ounce choice or high choice ribeye steaks from Kirby Meat Co. in Dodge City, Angus Snyder's baked beans, potato rolls and iced tea.

That's about 450 pounds of beef grilled on two six-foot-by-40-inch gas grills, 26 No. 10 cans of beans and 48 dozen rolls.

All this is cooked and served with the help of about 14 paid Roto-Mix employees and eight volunteers from the Southwest Kansas Cattlewomen's Association.

Commerce Bank volunteers also help serve iced tea.

Cooksey said Roto-Mix, which funds the cookout entirely, will spend about $5,000 to put the event on. That includes about $4,000 for the steaks and $82 worth of additional spices and ingredients for Angus Snyder's Beans, which include brown sugar, jalapenos and onions.

Angus Snyder, Roto-Mix purchasing and production manager, prepares the baked beans and, according to Cooksey, they've received a lot of compliments on the beans.

"We've had a lot of people ask for the recipe," Cooksey said.

Cooksey said Roto-mix has hosted the event for about 10 years and their motivation is two-fold -- part community service and part advertising.

Cooksey said Garden City is at the center of their market and that it is nice to be able to give back to the community.

"We need to put a little money back into Garden," Cooksey said.

But Cooksey also understands the importance of Roto-Mix's visibility at Beef Empire Days.

"We get some feed yard management people there. We get some industry people there that do the judging from the stands. We get the feed yard truck drivers there and a fair amount of cattle owners, too," Cooksey said. "It doesn't hurt to wave Roto-Mix in front of those people."

The cookout is open to the general public, and meals are served on a first-come, first-served basis.

"We have yet to run out," Cooksey said. "But the last two years we thought we would. Frankly, if we run out, it will be people that showed up late or people that come back through."

Cooksey said a high percentage of the people that come back through are feed-truck drivers, part of the demographic that Roto-Mix seeks to reach out to.

But the eating doesn't end there.

The Roto-Mix Cattleman's Steak Cookout is just the first of many culinary opportunities offered at this year's event.

Later on Wednesday night, the Clarion Inn will host the Beef Empire Days Sponsors Reception, serving Baron of Beef and appetizers for about 350 people.

According to Clarion Banquet Manager Wanda Brown, the Clarion also will host three other events for Beef Empire Days: Mexican buffet on Friday for the Beef Empire Steer trial auction for about 150 people, the Beef Empire Days Awards Banquet on Saturday, which will be a steak dinner for about 150 people, and the final leg of the Cattleman's Crawl on June 7, where they will serve the main entree and dessert for 100 people.

The Cattleman's Crawl is a progressive dinner that takes 100 people on a culinary tour of Garden City, stopping at Las Margaritas for an appetizer, the Golden Dragon for soup, The Golf Club at Southwind for another appetizer, and the Clarion for the main entree. The cost is $65 per person.

On June 6, Commerce Bank will sponsor a chuck wagon breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Stevens Park, prior to the Black Hills Energy Beef Empire Days Parade.

Following the parade, at about 11:30 a.m., the Beef Empire Days Chuckwagons in the Park Community Feed at Stevens Park will feature six chuckwagons serving their own specially prepared meats free of charge for about 1,200 people.

"Each wagon does it differently, and it kind of shows the different things you can do with beef," said event chairman Brian Price. "We try to create enough activity and atmosphere in the park so that people will stay around after the parade."

About 700 pounds of beef will be donated from the various packing plants in the area, and then the individual chuckwagon cooks will work their magic for the public.

"They make some really nice food. It's really good," Price said.

The event has been around in one form or another since the inception of Beef Empire Days 41 years ago, but became the Chuckwagons in the Park in 1975.

"The main focus is the beef, how it's cooked, how it's economical to buy and not to listen to all the hoopla that it needs to be taken out of your diet," Price said. "It's still a source of a lot of the vitamins and essential minerals you need in your body."

In addition to the numerous banquets and public cookouts, there also will be concessions available for Beef Empire Rodeo attendees.

Diane Overland, of the Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo Committee, said they are prepared to cook about 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of brisket, 300 quarter-pound hotdogs, about 20 pounds of chili to top off the 'dogs and nachos, and about 300 pounds of ribeye for Philly steak sandwiches.

That kind of food can work up a thirst, and the committee will be amply supplied with soft drinks and 4,500 cans of beer.

"It's lots of food, lots of beer and lots of work," Overland said.

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