Will Rogers Memorial Center elevates Cowtown cuisine

Will Rogers Memorial Center elevates Cowtown cuisine

Published on November 09, 2024

The preferred food and beverage provider at Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC), Craft Culinary Concepts, has named Waylon Cornelius executive chef of the center's catering and concessions.

Why it matters: A native of Mansfield and 2003 graduate of AIMS Academy of Culinary Arts in Dallas, Cornelius is shifting the expectations of the center's guests from a typical "BBQ and beans" menu to a bill of fare satisfying both the palates of the world's greatest horsemen and DFW's most discerning gala planner.

Elevated cuisine: "We always have fajitas ready to go, but we also make a beautiful beef Wellington or baked salmon with a pink salt crust" for a social event, Cornelius said.

For consumer trade shows and horse shows, Craft and its partners Caribou and Taco Heads offer more choices for the thousands of guests who attend events at WRMC annually.

"Some of our equestrian guests are away from home and here for several days, and they need more than popcorn and hot dogs," Cornelius said. "Our concessions offer biscuits and gravy, burritos made in-house, strawberry salad, fruit and yogurt cups."

The kitchen calls: Cornelius grew up helping in a farm-to-table kitchen. He was raised on a farm with his mother, grandmother and grandfather - a Vietnam veteran who enjoyed vegetable gardens and raising hogs and chickens. Cornelius studied computer science after high school and holds an associate's degree in cultural resource management and policy analysis from Tarrant County College. But he kept being drawn back to the kitchen.

He then enrolled at AIMS Academy. While training as assistant executive sous chef at the AAA four-diamond Grand Hyatt DFW, he was mentored by Executive Chef Sutti Sripolpa. He also learned from Chef de Cuisine Eric Dryer, who went on to be Oprah Winfrey's personal chef. He also worked with Executive Chef Jean-Claude Plihon, who honed his French cooking skills.

As executive sous chef at the opening of Perry's Steakhouse and Grille in Southlake, Cornelius had his first experience with volume. While at H&G Supply for two years learning about gluten-free items and other food allergies, he crossed paths with Chef James R. Schell III.

Schell, now Craft's general manager at WRMC, recruited Cornelius to Fort Worth's 120-acre entertainment and equestrian complex this summer.

Focus on quality, variety, selection: "James said he needed someone who can hit moving targets, push the culinary team to be more avant-garde and use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. So here I am," said Cornelius. "Culinary is a small world."

Schell seeks to ensure WRMC guests get superior experience with food quality, variety and selections.

"I want people to say, 'When we were in Fort Worth, you won't believe what we got at Will Rogers!'" he said. "Even the celebrities who perform [in the auditorium] are surprised. When Chicago played here recently and we served dinner backstage, they said they felt treated like the Rolling Stones."

About Will Rogers Memorial Center: Will Rogers Memorial Center is an historic entertainment, sports and equestrian complex anchoring Fort Worth's Cultural District. Owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth, the original Coliseum, Pioneer Tower and Auditorium were dedicated in 1936 for the Texas Centennial celebration and are on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the decades, the facility has added show barns, arenas, exhibit halls, meeting spaces and a multipurpose equestrian center, bringing 2 million visitors through its art deco gates annually.

About Craft Culinary Concepts: Craft Culinary Concepts, headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, manages food and beverage programs for entertainment, sports and cultural facilities. Whether serving individuals, groups or tens of thousands at venues, convention centers or stadiums, each guest experience is custom tailored to be an enjoyable memory to be savored.

Photo: Executive chef Waylon Cornelius:"I want people to say, 'When we were in Fort Worth, you won't believe what we got at Will Rogers!'"

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• Health & Lifestyle