WM Phoenix Open caterer to feed 250,000 people next week

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Each day next week, tens of thousands of people will head to TPC Scottsdale for the Greatest Show on Grass. The WM Phoenix Open begins Saturday night with the opening Concert in the Coliseum at the 16th hole.

M Culinary is the main caterer for the event. They have cooks at their headquarters in Scottsdale preparing food now through next week. It’s then brought to multiple kitchens to be finished in the coming days. “We bring it back to life. This is the largest event I personally manage,” Sous Chef Evan Lee said. “Get it done and get it done well.”

Lee says they serve around 10 to 12 thousand plates a day. It takes a lot of prep work, starting in the early morning hours, to prepare breakfast, lunch and dessert for thousands of fans. They cater to most of the skyboxes and suites.

There is going to be a lot of food going out. The sous chef says they will fry 38,000 corn dogs and oven-roast 36,000 chicken breasts next week. There will also be hot dogs and other smaller plates like spaghetti and meatballs for some of the boxes.

M Culinary Event Producer Lauren Bircher says they are excited and more prepared this year. “It takes a village,” she said. “This week is one of our busiest every year.” Bircher says they expect to feed about 250,000 people next week. Last year, they donated about 19,000 pounds of food to groups like Waste Not. The leftovers went back into Valley communities.

The crew says the boxes are larger than ever before. They expect more people than ever to go out next week for golf and fun. “This is gonna be a good one; the weather is turning out to be warm and sunny,” Lee said. “Which is what everyone comes to Scottsdale for.”

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.