DETROIT – We’re just 10 days away from the Detroit Lions' home opener against the Chicago Bears.
On Wednesday (Sept. 3) at Ford Field, they rolled out some of the new food that fans will be enjoying as the Lions start their run at making that elusive Super Bowl.
The new spread will also feature signature drinks and a special meal named in honor of Lions’ running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
It includes a burger made with pizza toppings, potato rings – a nod to Gibbs’ nickname “Sonic” and a small pack of Sour Patch Kids.
Levy, the team’s food and beverage partner, is emphasizing the importance of local food as part of the experience.
“You’re gonna see a lot of local restaurant groups that we partner with to bring in some neighborhood eats into the area,” Matthew Coleman, Levy’s executive chef, said during Wednesday’s event. “So, I think we’re really excited to showcase our neighbors.”
Those businesses include Paradise Street Eats, Breadless, Wing Snob, Bombshell Treat Bar, and vegan restaurant The Kitchen.
“I initially worked out with the Black Business Alliance,” Quiana Rice, The Kitchen’s owner, said.
Her restaurant and food truck are currently featured on The Food Network show “The Great Food Truck Race.”
“And then I ended up getting a call from them saying, ‘Hey, would you want to, let’s interview to see if you can bring here,’” Rice said. “All I need is opportunity.”
“Because if I get the opportunity, it’s curtains,” Rice added.
Rice started her business, Cooking with Que, in 2015, as a way to address food allergies she lives with after being diagnosed with sarcoidosis.
“I got sick, and I tell people all the time that something had to piss you off to make you do something different,” Rice said. “Everything in my journey was like you have to learn how to eat completely differently from what you were taught.”
Rice said she attended Lions games and often found herself having to eat snacks or nothing at all.
Now that she has partnered with the team, it has become a full-circle moment for her.
“Imagine being here hungry, and now you’re here and you get to serve the food that you’ve been telling everybody that was so good to try,” Rice said. “It’s a blessing.”