Cedar Park Center serves up more than hot dogs

The common connotation of arena food does not extend much past hot dogs and nachos, but the Cedar Park Center boasts an executive chef with five-star credentials who provides both sophisticated menus and concession stand favorites.

Executive Chef Craig McAlister began his cooking career via a tour of varied jobs in Austin while on a break from studying at the University of Texas at Austin. He has grilled burgers downtown, made ice cream at Amy's Ice Creams and flipped eggs at Kerbey Lane Caf.

"I finally crossed that bridge where I knew that this was something I was going to do. I was going to cook, I was going to pursue this as a career path and not just as a hobby or something to pay my bills," he said.

McAlister decided to pack up his belongings and drive to New York to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. After he graduated, he worked at a resort in Georgia, where he met his wife. He decided to pack up his car and head back to Austin, which is when he began working with ARAMARK as the executive sous chef at the Austin Convention Center. ARAMARK, which also provides food service for the Cedar Park Center, offered McAlister the job at the center, and he moved to his new position just before hockey season began in 2011.

"I started compiling menus and figuring out where everything is, where the kitchen staff hides the aprons and where they kept the salt, and just took the ball and ran with it." McAlister said.

He said at any given time he can have up to a dozen events in a single game day and as many menus to manage as well. McAlister handles accounting, ordering food for most of the building, writing menus, hiring and payroll. There are menus for season ticket holder suites, concession stands, the luxury boxes, the Texas Stars and the visiting hockey teams, corporate events and staff meals.

"It's definitely a chess game of giving people different experiences in different parts of the building," McAlister said.

He recently completed a continuing education class through ARAMARK's partnership with his alma mater, CIA.

"ARAMARK's partnership with the CIA provides our chefs with the opportunity to hone their skills and culinary creativity, as well as to enhance the dining experience for our clients and customers," ARAMARK Higher Education President Chris Hackem said.

McAlister said a lot of the performers have their own caterers who tour with them, but he has prepared menus for several entertainers.

"Some of the most genuine people we have cooked for have been the monster truck drivers. You throw those guys a nice brisket sandwich and some homemade barbecue sauce, they're good, down-to-earth people who appreciate it," McAlister said.