UR football player turns D-Hall into a game day kitchen
CAMPUS LIFE
“Is this the diet section?” joked a lunch patron, glancing at the special Chef’s Table offerings at the Heilman Dining Center.
Rigatoni in creamy vodka sauce, Italian sausage sandwiches, chicken cutlets, and ricotta cheesecake were the decidedly rich dishes created and served by UR football player Brian “Big Cat” Catanzarite and Dining Services chefs at the lunchtime “Game Day Small Plates” event last Wednesday.
“I come from an Italian family so everyone loves to cook,” said Catanzarite, a senior long snapper known among teammates for his elaborate game day spreads. The D-Hall offerings featured dishes popular in his home state of New Jersey, with a gourmet twist.
From his station at the Chef’s Table in the center of D-Hall, Catanzarite worked the line with a pair of tongs, plating his signature “Cutlets a la Big Cat.” Each plate was finished with melted mozzarella — “we call it mutzadel where I’m from” — thin slices of prosciutto, a garnish of micro basil, and a swirl of balsamic glaze. Within minutes, the lunch line curved around the tables.
For Catanzarite, cooking for hundreds of people was a new experience — but feeding a crowd isn’t new. His interest in cooking began out of necessity the summer before his junior year, when he lived in a residence hall with three football teammates and wasn’t on a meal plan. Catanzarite and his roommates — seniors Aiden Mack, Ashten Snelsire, and Sean Clarke — began experimenting in the kitchen, trying new recipes and sharing meals together.
What started as a practical solution soon turned into a hobby. Catanzarite began documenting their dishes on Instagram and TikTok under the handle @endzoneeatz, where posts feature everything from pasta and sandwiches to game-day spreads.
That passion caught the attention of Dining Services. Kirsten McKinney, director of marketing for Campus Operations, first met Catanzarite at a previous Chef’s Table.
“He's passionate about food, and we're always interested in connecting with students like that,” McKinney said. “When Brian told us he was looking into doing his own tailgating business after graduation, it made the event even more exciting, as it became a great opportunity to give him time in the kitchen to learn what it's like to cook for mass production.”
Planning the Northeastern style menu began last fall with Catanzarite, The Cellar’s chefs Corry Comstock and Mike Scampoli, and Dining Services Stores and Requisitions Manager Mike Onorato — all originally from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Last Tuesday, Catanzarite joined them in the Heilman Dining Center’s kitchen to begin meal preparation. He was impressed by what he saw.
“Being able to see how everything was done and getting to do something for myself, I was like a kid in a candy shop,” Catanzarite said.
While he had past experiences catering for groups of 10 to 20, getting 600 chicken cutlets ready for the University’s lunchtime crowd was a big step up.
But Catanzarite looked calm at his D-Hall post. He explained that he thrives in high pressure situations and compared cooking to playing football.
“It’s like a sport. Something I really enjoy is the rush it gives me. Especially when you are cooking for a big group of people, there is a lot of pressure to make sure everything turns out correctly and in a timely manner,” Catanzarite said.
“Once everything goes well, to me there is no better reward.”