From Northwest Nicoise Salad that includes local line-caught albacore tuna to Seattle-style hot dogs with cream cheese, grilled onions, mustard and sauerkraut, or a fish taco station with Pacific cod, Susan Lacz thoughtfully creates her menu selections to fit the region.
Lacz is CEO of Ridgewells Catering, which has been preparing meals for the U.S. Open since 1993. She's created a menu of over 150 items, and will serve over 40,000 meals during the week of the championship. Her diners include corporate sponsors, players, rules officials, media and the USGA. And the menu varies from tent to tent.
Many of her ingredients are purchased from Northwest-based suppliers. And here's one local item you might not have heard of before: salmon candy. About 100 pounds of it is available.
Not only will the food inventory be stocked locally, so will the staff. Lacz recruited a staff of 500 that includes chefs, cooks, bartenders, servers and wait staff, from South Seattle College, Tacoma Community College, University of Washington Tacoma, JBLM, and Bates Technical College.
FUN FACTS
Poultry 5,900 lbs.
Beef 5,900 lbs. (flank steak, tenderloin)
Pork 3,000 lbs.
Seafood 5,900 lbs. (albacore tuna, shrimp, salmon, dungeness crab)
Cheese 600 lbs.
15,000 cookies 400 lbs. salsa 5,200 containers yogurt 250 cases Northwest wine (Middleton Family Winery, Betz Winery, Columbia Crest Winery) 4,500 cases beer 3,000 cases bottled water 100,000 cases of ice