Goodbye chicken. Hello beef. Certified Angus Beef joins Pro Football Hall of Fame team

Tony Biggs left no doubt that he was a man who appreciated both a fine steak and professional football.

While demonstrating how to expertly season and cook meat, the Certified Angus Beef chef unbuttoned his coat and revealed a New England Patriots T-shirt while flashing a grin.

Biggs' allegiance to the Super Bowl champion franchise was emblematic of this summer's partnership between the Wooster-based Certified Angus Beef and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce for the Gold Jacket Dinner during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.

Certified Angus Beef and its chefs have prepared a menu worthy of the NFL's greatest players at the Aug. 4 ticketed event at the Canton Memorial Civic Center and the adjacent Cultural Center for the Arts in downtown Canton. Area caterers will prepare the entrees, side dishes, salads and desserts with help from the Angus Beef kitchen pros.

"We’re always looking for ways to celebrate people and events with the very best beef," said Biggs, director of culinary arts at Certified Angus Beef. "With the Pro Football Hall of Fame almost in our backyard, it's an exciting opportunity to support our community and join the festival to serve Certified Angus Beef dishes for such a spectacular and memorable occasion.”

Chicken was served at the 2022 Gold Jacket Dinner ... and some guests asked, 'Where's the beef?'

So how did the mecca of beef team up with the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Pro Football Hall of Fame?

A couple of things happened. More than one attendee of the 2022 Gold Jacket Dinner noticed beef was not on the menu. Chicken was the main course, the result of an unprecedented spike in food prices.

But another consensus was reached — the sport of pro football and steak go together as well as Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann did in their 1970s glory when creating championship highlights on the field.

"We didn’t have a viable option except to change up our menu, so we served Tuscan stuffed chicken in place of filet mignon," said Collyn Floyd, vice president of events and marketing strategy for the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Our attendees go to the grocery store like everyone else, so for the most part they were very understanding, but it wasn’t ideal and we did receive some comments wondering, 'Where’s the beef?'"

What is Certified Angus Beef?

Certified Angus Beef is a nonprofit and brand owned by the American Angus Association and its farmer and rancher members. It was created in 1978, with the international headquarters in Wooster.

Beef must pass the brand’s 10 science-based specifications for quality before being labeled as Certified Angus Beef.

Aside from the labeling and standards, the nonprofit's goal is simple: Spread the gospel of premium beef. That mission today includes everything from a Culinary Center to streaming cooking shows to a podcast to branded merchandise.

Biggs agrees that beef and football are an ideal match.

"We all have happy memories of grilling burgers at a tailgate, ready to cheer on our favorite team, and I think this dinner is a really unique way to showcase the diversity of the Certified Angus Beef brand," he said.

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What meal will be served to football's greatest players?

Menu items were selected following an extensive sampling and taste testing session at the Certified Angus Beef Culinary Center.

Using a football analogy, Biggs was the coach and his fellow chefs and kitchen staff were players. Instead of practicing offensive plays and defensive formations, they used their culinary skills and repetition to prepare a host of entrees, salads and desserts.

Working side by side with Biggs was Certified Angus Beef Executive Chef Venoy Rogers III.

Participating caterers were the Warren-based AVI Foodsystems, and Santangelo’s Catering and AA Executive Catering, both of Stark County. They sampled a vast array of dishes and discussed options with the chefs.

All of it was superb. A variety of steaks, including the prized filet mignon, plus side dishes were considered. Multiple salads also were presented. Desserts were decadent and luscious.

In the end, one meal won out to be served to the 2023 class of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees and other attendees of the prestigious affair, where the enshrinees will receive their hallowed gold jackets.

Entering the football shrine this year are Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Darrelle Revis, Ronde Barber, Don Coryell, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Ken Riley and former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas.

Dinner features Certified Angus Beef grilled filet mignon with port wine reduction and roasted cippolini onion, asparagus and individual potatoes gratin.

Starting off the meal will be a summer salad of mixed greens, shaved carrot, pickled onions, watermelon radish and citrus vinaigrette.

And the sweet tooth touchdown will be a key lime cheesecake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream.

Certified Angus Beef and the caterers selected the meal while considering five other salads, three other main courses and three competing desserts, including coffee tiramisu, cherry trifle and deconstructed pineapple upside down cake featuring whipped honey mascarpone and caramel sauce.

"Our teams worked together for weeks to design a menu that was not only delicious but could be easily replicated 4,000 times in a time crunch (and without a permanent kitchen)," Floyd said. "Luckily, (Certified Angus Beef) chefs work in unique environments at events all over the world, so they were unfazed by the challenge."

Every element of the meal was carefully curated for the momentous occasion, Biggs said.

The menu selections will be prepped off site and then either prepared fresh or finished at the Civic Center, depending on the item, Floyd said.

Although beef and football seem like a natural pairing, what happens if there's a vegetarian or vegan at the dinner?

"We have a vegetarian option that is vegan and gluten free," Floyd assured. "This year it is a ratatouille stuffed portabella mushroom with quinoa, and it is quite good."

A meal to remember

Floyd had connected with Certified Angus Beef a few years back through her then food blog, and the chamber's vice president of development, Melissa Coultas, had a connection as well.

"As we told them about the Gold Jacket Dinner, and they told us about their premium products, the lights went on for all of us," Floyd said.

Elevating the menu was the game plan, said Floyd, who joined Kelly Piero, vice president of marketing, communications and public affairs at the chamber, in coordinating and planning the special collaboration with Certified Angus Beef. They also attended the sampling session.

Helping coordinate the partnership with the chamber, as well as the tasting event, was Nicole Lane Erceg, communications director for Certified Angus Beef.

"The Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner is our signature event, and we felt it deserved a signature menu," Floyd said.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Certified Angus Beef cooks for new Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees