Valley Falls chef shows off cooking skills for 'Big 12 Eats' during Big 12 Championship week
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSNT)-- The excitement around the Big 12 Tournament doesn't stop at the basketball court for fans. It even comes down to entertaining people through their stomachs with food.
Joshua Stone is a chef from Valley Falls, Kan. and he is putting his skills on full display during this year's Big 12 Tournament. 27 News evening anchor McKenzi Davis and 27 News sports anchor Lainey Gerber put on their best "Top Chef" hats to taste what he came up with for the "Big 12 Eats".
The Valley Falls native is the executive chef for the "Big 12 Eats". He had a big job to create meals to satisfy every fan. He's in Kansas City now working as an executive chef for Levy's at the request of the Big 12 Conference in the T-Mobile Center.
"We had a chance to really step up our game and actually represent each team with a fan favorite," Stone said. "Or, hopefully, a fan favorite when they try them."
Stone and a team were contacted to make food for the tournament. So they did research on the colleges, and the towns, to come up with the perfect recipes to represent all 10 schools. They even made their own draft round of the foods that made the final cut. Stone said all the work was a labor of love with the fans in mind.
"We want the fans to have an experience," he said. "We want them to come here. They're here for the basketball, they enjoy it. But, you know what, everybody loves food. So they're here to really just take advantage. I want them to leave satisfied, happy. I'm sorry if their team loses, but I want them to leave on a good note. I want them to have things to talk about."
The menu includes:
- The Baylor Float
- Vanilla ice cream and Dr. Pepper
- Cyclones Tenderloin
- Kaiser bun, breaded pork tenderloin, sliced onion, sweet and spicy pickles
- Jayhawks Mac & Cheese
- Pasta and creamy white cheese sauce, topped with house-smoked pulled pork, Levy signature BBQ sauce, and crispy fried onions
- K-State’s Wabash Cannondog
- A bacon-wrapped jumbo hot dog topped with Wildcat Purple relish
- Stormin’ from Norman Oklahoma Taco
- Frybread topped with ground beef, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, beans, onions, and chili
- Pistol Pete’s OSU Fried Corn
- Elote-style bacon-fried corn topped with crushed Doritos
- TCU Loaded Tots
- Tater tots, spicy queso sauce, chopped house smoked brisket, pico de gallo, topped with Horned Frog Purple sour cream
- Longhorn Quesadilla
- Triple cheese quesadilla, steak or chicken, with Burnt Orange salsa rojo sauce
- Tech’s Masked Rider Burger
- All beef patty, Cheddar, fried onion ring, sweet pickled jalapenos and Red Raiders BBQ sauce
- West Virginia Mountaineer Roll
- Sliced pepperoni and mozzarella cheese in a soft roll
"I want the people to enjoy this food," Stone said. "This is why I do what I do. And it is just absolutely…This is the best time of year for me. It really is."