Will Rogers Memorial Center Names Craft Culinary Concepts as Official Food & Beverage Provider
Craft Culinary Concepts is thrilled to announce that we have been officially selected as the food and beverage provider for the Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC) in Fort Worth, Texas. This will be Craft’s first awarded contract outside of the state of Arizona.
ABOUT THE WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL CENTER
Less than three miles from Fort Worth's Downtown District, you'll find the Will Rogers Memorial Center. This 120-acre, renowned equestrian and event facility plays host to a variety of corporate, educational, agricultural and sporting events, including many international and grand-scale shows. The Memorial Center was built in 1936 and in 2016 the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
LOCAL FLAVORS
From the iconic BBQ at Railhead Smokehouse to Mama Gina’s soul food, Craft has partnered with several local favorites for the WRMC. Visitors can look forward to an authentic Fort Worth dining experience without having to leave the memorial center.
Railhead Smokehouse
Charlie Geren serves as the President of the Railhead Smokehouse, a staple in Fort Worth. From ribs to brisket tacos, Railhead knows how their stuff when it comes to creating flavorful & authentic Texas barbecue. Railhead Smokehouse was recently inducted into the Texas Restaurant Association’s Hall of Honor, which is the most prestigious recognition the association can bestow.
Mama Gina’s
Regina Smith lives in Arlington, Texas, and is the proud spouse of a disabled Veteran. She took a leap of faith and left corporate America to provide rehabilitative care for her husband who has had a heart attack and four strokes. While doing so, she rediscovered her passion for cooking delicious southern comfort healthy meals and desserts. Regina shows her love of people through her cooking and this passion has become the official Mama Gina’s!
Sweetsie Bakery
Sweetsie Bakery & Café is a family-run concept that provides a unique twist on pies, cookies, and ice cream. Sweetsie is a minority and woman-owned business, and they are proud to be a certified City of Fort Worth Business equity partner. The pies are the real deal, with a true flour-and-butter crust and the cookies have a unique shape and profile: they’re oval with indentations on both sides that make them chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
Padrino Foods
Host of The Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship, Padrino's was started in 2006 by 3rd generation tamale makers Diane and David Luther. Padrino’s makes authentic, corn shuck wrapped tamales out of their USDA inspected 27,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Irving, Texas. Each tamale is made from scratch with fresh ingredients and the taste is unmatched. Padrino manages tamale quality from beginning to end to ensure consistency in flavor, texture, and overall experience.
Bite My Biscuit
Owned by husband-and-wife team, Grant and Candice Lambdin, Bite My Biscuit is a gourmet Biscuit food truck in the Fort Worth area and beyond. BmB serves up scratch-made biscuit sandwiches, sides and biscuit desserts–all cooked fresh, hot and to order. Bite My Biscuit won the Best American Cuisine award at the Food Truck Championship of Texas in 2016, and has been featured in many publications for their tasty twists on classic southern cuisine.
Taco Heads
In 2008, Sarah Castillo set out to create the perfect taqueria experience for a cult following of taco lovers, who would later be referred to as Taco Heads. Taco Heads began its journey selling tacos out of a trailer in the West 7th area of Fort Worth. With the support of family, friends, and loyal customers the popularity of this late-night taco stop grew. Now, with a brick-and-mortar restaurant, a catering fleet, and serving their award-winning breakfast tacos to 15 different DFW coffee shops, the Taco Heads mission of Serving the Best Taco’s in North America is well on its way.
Le Rouge Cuisine
Le Rouge Cuisine is where fine dining meets good home cooking, with creative creole--fused dishes from the esteemed Chef Amber Williams. Chef Amber serves the DFW metroplex and surrounding cities providing Special Event catering, Private chef services, live cooking demos and more. She has also recently launched her “Creole Fusion To-go” brand, “Seaux Tasty” that will be housed at The Shed located at the Dallas Farmers Market. All centered around a Creole Fusion brand, Chef Amber creates experiences that share her roots and determination to cultivate organic spaces where food is the center of the experience.
Ben’s Soft Pretzels
Craft has partnered with Ben’s soft pretzels at many of our current locations, and they’re always a hit! We’re looking forward to bringing these iconic pretzels to the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Amish-inspired and oh-so-delicious, the story of how Ben’s Soft Pretzel’s grew from it’s humble farmer’s market beginnings to one of the fastest growing quick-serve food companies in the US is quite remarkable. With no harsh-preservatives, Ben’s Pretzels are hand-rolled and baked fresh throughout the day.
CONCESSION & MOBILE CONCEPTS
The Craft team has created new and unique concepts for the WRMC that we believe will enhance the overall visitor experience by providing quality and convenience. Craft plans to implement mobile solutions to increase the accessibility throughout the 120-acre complex.
(Note: These are currently just concepts and actual offerings may vary.)
The Bodega
The Bodega is an Airstream trailer converted into a mobile convenience store offering items such as cold beverages, snacks, sundries, and more. The Bodega will also offer an online ordering service that will allow visitors to order in advance for when they arrive on property.
Primetime Grill
The iconic Primetime Grill will be making the trek to Texas, bringing its mega-event firepower with it. This customized restaurant on wheels is an astonishing 75-foot-long technical wonder complete with grills, smoker, ovens and everything necessary to serve hundreds to thousands of guests.
Tex Mex feat. Taco Heads
The Tex Mex concession stand concept would feature tasty menu items from Taco Heads.
North Texas BBQ Market feat. Railhead Smokehouse
The North Texas BBQ Market concept would feature iconic Texas BBQ plates and classic southern sides from Railhead Smokehouse.
Stockyards Burger Co.
Aside from offering traditional burgers, the Stockyards Burger Co. would also include unique twists to add big Texas flavor from green chile burgers to BBQ brisket, and Impossible Burgers for vegan guests.
