“Cedar plank salmon with roasted asparagus. Blue cornmeal pancakes. Irish Bangers with Parmesan Mash and Peas. Baby-back pork ribs with blueberry barbecue sauce. Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Double-chocolate, double-peanut butter cookies (the Wayne-busters)… a spread in Slayton’s kitchen reads like the kind of menu you’d find at everybody’s favorite restaurant, the place all the locals recommend when you ask who has the best food in town. Always inventive, always new, and always delicious, Slayton’s meals are about bringing people together, hoisting spirits high, and having a great time.”
After our mother’s death, I remember really wanting to eat the Spaghetti Casserole she used to bake. Of course, if I wanted to eat it, I’d have to make it myself. So, I found the recipe, bought the groceries and allowed the experience of watching her work in the kitchen to guide me. Amazingly, it tasted just like hers…..recipes do work!
Years later, I recall telling my good friend Steve Houk about some channel called Food Network I had come across. I told him it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen….a network with nothing but cooking shows. How stupid!!!! Since then, I’ve rarely gone a day without watching something on Food Network or Cooking Channel and have a thick book of recipes to draw upon. Love to follow Emeril Lagasse, Ina Garten and Tyler Florence in search of awesome stuff to eat. I hope the alleged irony of this makes you giggle like it does me! Believe me, cooking isn’t nearly the witchcraft some people make it out to be. It’s as simple as following the instructions in the recipe. With experience, you can adjust to make it 1,000 times better if you want. It’s all about what makes you, your family and your friends happy. Don’t hesitate to kill it with your skillet!
I’ve been lucky to partner with the King himself, Pete Kindem, who has turned the time-honored tradition of tailgating into the kind of once-in-a-lifetime event you’ll one day tell your children about. I’ve read some people complain that there’s no good tailgating atmosphere for UNC football because there’s no “field” to tailgate in similar to Carter Finley Stadium’s parking lots. This is merely an weak excuse…superior tailgating can be as simple as two people sitting in chairs drinking beer (true story). Regardless of setting, the tailgate experience is as fun, unique and exciting as you’re willing to make it. Instead of wasting time generating excuses, think of what things will make you and your friends happy and then make it so.
For more information on how you can have a true tailgate extravaganza, visit tailgatekindem.com. Pete offers novice tailgaters advice, equipment suggestions, photos, etc. for how to make the best of your pre-game/pre-concert/pre-anything event.
“Slayton has always been one of the most fascinating, influential, and amazing people I know. In the last few years I have been able to witness firsthand his talents, skill, and impact on others. We have planned, organized, and executed some of the greatest UNC tailgates in history. We often split up responsibilities, and in our own way, complement each other’s skill. This also brews some internal competitive drive as well. Though we don’t really talk about it […] 9 times out of 10 I find myself asking Slayton how he created this concept or where he got the idea and knowing I got out cooked.
His specialty is desserts. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding, Mini Chocolate Chess Pies, cookies that dissolve in your mouth, dessert bars that make people’s faces melt. It is always fun to watch the reaction of a first timer to our tailgate. They are somewhat speechless at the team work, the attention to detail, and the quality of the food. It is quite a spectacle.”
– Pete Kindem