Meet the Chef Who Feeds Her Hometown NFL Team
Turns out the Cincinnati Bengals like veggies
Chef Kymberly Wilbon travels to Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium every day to deliver lunch and dinner to private clients she lovingly refers to as her “players” — members of the Bengals, her hometown NFL team.
She lugs a hefty insulated duffle bag stuffed with extra-large pre-portioned meals sealed up in king-sized carry-out containers, each one brimming with vibrant roasted root vegetables, toasted grains, flashed greens, and braised proteins. “My food is seasonal, organic, unexpected, and local,” she declares, branding her healthful take on soul food.
“My players used to think that vegetables had to be bland and boring, like steamed broccoli,” Wilbon tells me. “I show up with broccolini sautéed in grapeseed oil, sprinkled with my Cajun spices, and they can’t get enough. It’s all about adding the right seasoning. That’s why they love me — and my broccoli.” Her meals are built around reimagined classics, the American comfort foods that everybody craves. One popular staple is her oven-fried chicken, made from buttermilk-soaked boneless thighs, baked in a quinoa crust and…
