Photos by Chris Green, Stadium Journey
This year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl and Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will stand out from the rest when it comes to the game day experience. Showcased during a special tasting event, these two games will feature specialty concession items available only during the games at Camping World Stadium, each featuring either Pop-Tarts or Cheez-It as part of the ingredients.
Already two of the top-draw bowls on the annual Bowl Season slate, fans at this year’s games can look forward to several unique creations.
Chad-Jan Neuman, Senior Executive Chef at Camping World Stadium and Levy Restaurants says the menu is the result of long hours of hard work from all parties involved. “It’s been six hard months of work between Kellanova and Levy Restaurants, sharing information, sharing recipes, sharing ideas,” said Neuman. “We enjoyed it because [you] can see how everything was taking form.”
During the tasting event we were able to sample several of these offerings – let’s take a dive into them and how they stack up:
Pop Tarts Bowl
PB&J Pop-Tarts Bavarian Pretzel - described as “a warm freshly baked pretzel topped with creamy peanut butter, strawberry jam sauce and Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts toaster pastry pieces,” this is by far one of the more unique items on the menu.
Chef Neuman says perfecting this item took a lot of work to balance the flavors involved. “We had to make sure we had balance between the sweet and the sour,” said Neuman. “The pretzel is very salty, and we had to make sure we had the right amount of peanut butter and jelly, and the right amount of pop tarts, to make sure we do not overwhelm the product.”
Boston Cream Pie Pop-Tarts Trifle - listed as “a decadent mix of new Frosted Brownie Crunch Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers, Chantilly cream, vanilla pudding, and chocolate sauce,” this desert item adds a touch of Pop-Tarts flavor to a classic desert that is sure to be a favorite among fans.
“We had to make sure it was approachable, it was cool, and it was unique,” said Neuman of the desert menu items. "You want to make sure its approachable to everybody, not just to kids but also to adults.”
Game Time Snack Mix - this “sweet and salty snack mix featuring Cheez-It Original, Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers and Fudge Brownie Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers” offers the perfect game-day version for everyone’s favorite snack mix. The Pop-Tarts pieces add a sweet side to the salty mix, while the Cheez-It Original pieces round out the mix perfectly.
Other items on the menu for fans to experience at this year’s Pop Tarts Bowl include:
Strawberry Pop-Tarts Trifle - a decadent mix of new Frosted Strawberry Crunch Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers, Chantilly cream, vanilla pudding, and strawberry sauce.
Hot Fudge Pop-Tarts Waffle Cone Bowl Sundae - frosted Hot Fudge Sundae Pop-Tarts with vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce, whipped cream and sprinkles served in a waffle cone bowl.- End Zone Celebration Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts Cheesecake; New York-style cheesecake topped with Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts tidbits and dulce de leche.
End Zone Celebration Strawberry Pop-Tarts Cheesecake - New York-style cheesecake topped with Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts tidbits and strawberry sauce.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
The items for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl feature the ever popular Cheez-It snacks. Here, sweet and savory mix together for more unique flavors. Let’s take a look at some of the items we were able to sample:
Cheez-It Tender Dog - this star item featuring “[a] chicken tender, beer cheese sauce, Cheez-It Crunched Foot Long Roll, [and] crispy fries” is topped with jalapeño slices and strawberry sauce drizzle. For Chef Neuman, this item instills the most pride.
"The tender dog was the final one we finished,” said Neuman. "We didn’t want to just make a hot dog. We wanted to make something between a tender and a hot dog that was also loaded. You can really feel the flavor.”
Walking Cheez-It Nachos - this “bed of Extra Crunchy Snap’d Cheez-It crackers, nacho cheese sauce, chuck wagon chili dip, [and] green onions” is a new take on a recent classic. Showcasing the flavor of Cheez-It crackers in a nacho form, this item will be sure to delight fans.
Mac and Cheez-It Nachos - this “Macaroni in a creamy extra sharp cheddar sauce with Extra Big Cheez-It crackers, queso, bacon and green onions” is another take on the above classic. Full of cheesy flavor, this one mixes the salty of the crackers perfectly with the savory of the pasta.
Pimento Cheez-It Board - featuring “local cured meats, cheese, fruit, [and] vegetables,” this premium board features an excellent pimento cheese dip that compliments the Cheez-It crackers perfectly.
Other items on the menu for fans to experience at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl include:
Swicy Cheez-It Bird Dog - this southern favorite consists of crispy chicken tenders topped with beer cheese sauce, jalapeños, Hot & Spicy Cheez-It crackers and roasted raspberry chipotle sauce served in a steak roll.
Loaded Cheez-It Brisket Potato Skins - baked potato skins topped with overnight-braised tender beef, creamy extra sharp white cheddar cheese sauce and Cheez-It White Cheddar cracker crumb topping.
Hot Honey & Cheez-It Pepperoni Pizza (“Kordeezy Cheezy Pizza”) - charred pepperoni with Mike’s Hot Honey, tomato sauce, mozzarella and a White Cheddar Cheez-It cracker garnish.
Loaded Chili Cheez-It Crunch Dog - a foot-long all-beef frank topped with chunky chili, jalapeño cheese sauce, white onions and hand crushed Cheez-It Original crackers.
Cheez-It Pimento Cheez & Bacon Burger - a char-grilled double patty, Cheez-It pimento cheese, Crunchy Original Cheddar Cheez-It Topping and smoked applewood bacon.
For Chef Neuman, creating the above items meant collaborating with numerous people from both Levy Restaurants as well as Kellanova, and he looks forward to seeing the fan reactions at the game.
“You can see it in their faces,” said Neuman. "You can see how they enjoy it when they take that first bite and then come back for the same product and certain items, and you can see it in their eyes. When they taste it, that’s the most exciting thing.”
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