Tailgate Season Pairs Football Fans with Shipped Prime Meats and Seafood
10.13.06, 10:09 AM ET


According to chef Susan Goss in a ABC7Chicago.com report, tailgating is said to trace back to 1869 at a college football game between Rutgers and Princeton. Some Yale historians argue that the dawn of the tailgate era was 1904, started by Yale football fans.

No matter what year it officially started, tailgating in the hours leading up to the beloved kickoff at National Football League games and at college stadiums around the nation has now evolved beyond ritual to a true art form.

Websites such as Tailgating America's www.Tailgating.com and the American Tailgater's Association's www.ATATailgate.com offer everything from recipes to stadium analysis, to documentation of tailgating accomplishments worthy of a tailgating Hall of Fame.

While amateurs char basic burger and franks on makeshift grills, legions of true die-hard football fans have taken the art of the pre-game tailgating event to the level of the casual gourmet.

Lee Lippert of www.SeaFoodByNet.com reports that Chicago Stockyards aged prime steaks, gulf shrimp, fresh blue marlin, swordfish tenderloin, Australian lobster tails, Mako shark, crawfish tail meat, and premier grade Chilean salmon are just a few of the consumer favorites the company ships around the country for events like tailgates and Super Bowl parties.

"I believe that people are realizing that if they're going to dedicate their time to one of their favorite sports pastimes, then they want to get the full flavor of a fantastic experience. That means grilling the best foods possible - not just grocery store seafood and steak, but the stuff that will melt in your mouth and add to the experience," says Lippert.

"Food is the centerpiece to your tailgating party," explained Stephen Linn in an interview with the Grand Rapids Press. Linn is the author of "The Ultimate Tailgater's Handbook" and "The Ultimate Tailgater's Travel Guide."

In his profile of tailgate parties surrounding Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend Tribune journalist Michael Wanbaugh observed delicacies from mesquite-seasoned shrimp to savory duck sausage.

"To achieve the gourmet taste that modern tailgaters are striving for is actually simple," explains Andrew Shedden, Lead Gourmet at www.SeaFoodByNet.com. "For that perfect tailgate you need two things: high quality meat or seafood, and the right recipe."

The simplicity of Shedden's equation is in direct correlation to the popularity of www.SeaFoodByNet.com among tailgaters. In addition to the overnight shipping of hand-selected cuts nationally, the company hosts an online library of recipes that walk the would-be griller step-by-step to greatness.

NFL broadcaster and former coach John Madden has even scribed a cookbook for the parking lot chef: "John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating."

Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana has also gotten in on the art of the tailgate. A contest sponsored by www.GetBPDown.com allows entrants to submit an original heart-healthful recipe by October 18 for a chance to travel to New York City and cook with former NFL great.

About Seafood By Net

Seafood By Net is the online retail operation of All Seafood gourmet seafood and beef retail outlet and eatery, shipping the freshest hand-selected seafood and top quality gourmet beef products throughout the United States via next-day air. For information, visit www.seafoodbynet.com or call (815) 337-4028.

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