It takes a lot to feed the University of Arizona Football team.
“These guys go through about five cases of thirty dozen eggs every three days,” said Karl De La Ossa, the Executive Sous Chef at Bear Down Kitchen.
He was only referring to a little breakfast.
“There are eighty pounds of watermelon in two days. One hundred and fifty pounds of potatoes and starches in one day.”
It’s all the job of De La Ossa, a Nogales native who got his start at age fifteen in the kitchen of a golf resort.
“I’ve always had a passion for food.”
De La Ossa is the personal chef of all Wildcat student athletes, often getting to work as early ats 3:00 a.m.
“My team is part of their team.”
De La Ossa has a lot on his plate. He oversees twenty employees. His favorite food to cook is Asian food, which is just fine with the numerous Polynesian players on the football roster. And, there is something De La Ossa finds sweet.
“The fact that we get to meet those players before they go pro.”
Before the Wildcats go Oregon Duck hunting, De La Ossa has the salmon in place. He says it’s the highlight of his day when a student-athlete compliments his work. And, when the Wildcats taste success on the field, they taste even more of it that night.
“When they win, we do a full spread dinner for them, lobster tails, prime ribs, steaks grilled to order, pasta stations.”
And when the Wildcats lose?
“We still feed them, but the wins get top-notch.”
Recruits also get VIP treatment. In all, De La Ossa feeds two hundred and fifty student-athletes and staff members.
“Our process is strategic for our athletes to make sure we feed them properly, get their proper nutrients, and hopefully add to some wins, later,” he added with a chuckle.