“THE SUPER BOWL ITSELF IS A VERY FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT, AND THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN FAMILY-ORIENTED EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA,” MARTIN SAYS. December 2015/January 2016 63 a 49ers fan for a very long time, but I love all the Bay Area sports teams.” The San Francisco native, who entered the culinary field 24 years ago, knows plenty about both food and football. In fact, Mina has attended 12 of the last 15 NFL championship games in person. “And the only city I visited that even rivals San Francisco for food was New Orleans,” Mina says of the 2013 Super Bowl venue. Ten of Mina’s restaurants are in the Bay Area, including seven in San Francisco. The other three—Arcadia at the downtown San Jose Marriott and Bourbon Steak and Bourbon Pub at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara—are in Silicon Valley. He also stages elaborate tailgate parties prior to San Francisco 49ers games, a tradition he started when the 49ers still played in San Francisco. “We staged big tailgate parties for 200 or 300 people in the Candlestick parking lot,” Mina explains, referring to the 49ers’ home for 42 years. “We’d invite people from other tailgate parties to join us. I did that for 26 seasons.” Many of the parties Mina will host for Super Bowl 50 will be indoors in his Bay Area restaurants, including at Levi’s Stadium. Though details have not been finalized, Mina says he envisions private parties featuring appearances by such fellow culinary superstars as Thomas Keller, chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and founder of the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley; Jose Andres, chef, restaurateur and PBS cooking show personality; and Emeril Lagasse, chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and host of a Food Network program. “People coming to the Super Bowl are the perfect group of people to appreciate the great dining and drinking options in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” Mina says. “High-quality food and drink will be an integral part of the experience for Super Bowl visitors.” Mina had a taste of the Super Bowl experience earlier this year when the game was played in Glendale, Ariz., a few miles west of his Bourbon Steak restaurant in Scottsdale. “The Super Bowl attracts an amazing array of celebrities from sports and show business,” he explains, adding he hosted singer John Legend, Oakland Raider Charles Woodson and former NFL coach Dick Vermeil. “It’s unique in that respect. There is just an enormous amount of energy.” The Bay Area’s bounty of great food and drink will be showcased at a number of locations during Super Bowl week, Martin says. For example, both food and wine from Napa and Sonoma wine countries will be displayed prominently at Super Bowl City in San Francisco. “And we will be encouraging visitors to fan out to neighboring areas of the city to partake of the incredible restaurants and food markets, like the Ferry Building Marketplace,” Martin adds. During the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the entire Bay Area’s culinary delights will be on display. From San Francisco’s upscale eateries to quick bites available in Silicon Valley, there will be no shortage of local grub to impress the masses. Levi’s Stadium will even offer varied selections during the big game with a stadium menu that goes beyond hot dogs and garlic fries. n GETTY IMAGES
South Bay Accent - Dec 2015/Jan 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above