Dallas Cowboys players swear by the cooking of Chef Hoppie
NO SURPRISE TO ANY OF YOU THAT PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES EAT WELL, THEY HAVE THE MONEY, THE RESOURCES AND ALL THE OPTIONS IN THE WORLD TO DO IT. BUT WHO DOESN’T LOVE SOME HOME COOKING, ATHLETES IN THE DFW MANY DALLAS COWBOYS INCLUDED HAVE TURNED TO A MAN BY THE NAME OF CHEF HOPPY TO PROVIDE SOME FLAVORFUL HOME COOKING. I STILL ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY ANY OF MY RECIPES ARE THINGS THAT I COOK OUR OLD SCHOOL WITH A YOUNG TWIST, MEET MANUEL MCLEAN, BEST KNOWN AS CHEF HOPPY . WHERE DID YOUR LOVE FOR FOOD STEM FROM? UM I
THINK IT WAS, I WOULD SAY IS STEM FROM MY MOM AND REALIZING THE OPPORTUNITY THAT FOOD COULD BRING NOT EVEN JUST MONETARY WISE, BUT EVEN FROM BRINGING THE FAMILY TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW, SEEING THE SMILES THROUGH THE FLAVOR OF THE FOOD AND THINGS LIKE THAT IS REALLY WHAT SPARKED MY INTEREST IN IT, AND I KNOW HOW IT MADE ME FEEL. SO WHY NOT TRY TO BRING THAT FEELING FOR EVERYBODY FOR YOU TO BE CONNECTED TO THE GAME ON THIS LEVEL? WHAT IS THAT? THE WORLD JUST BECAUSE NO, NO OTHER CHEF IS DOING WHAT I’M DOING
AT THE LEVEL THAT I’M DOING IT AFTER AGE THAT I’M DOING IT AT HOPPY, THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS AT AGE 25. HE COOKS FOR SOME OF
LIKE THAT, AS WELL. AND YOUR LOVE FOR FOOTBALL IS PROBABLY EQUAL TO YOUR LOVE FOR FOOD FOR SURE. I PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR 10 15 YEARS, UM YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST THAT WAS MY FIRST LOVE MY FIRST PASSION. BUT WHENEVER I STOPPED GROWING, AND I WAS LIKE, OKAY, YOU KNOW AIN’T TOO MANY. 5 10 5 11 PEOPLE IN THE NFL LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAD A CHANGE MY FOCUS FUNNY ENOUGH. IT WAS THROUGH FOOTBALL THAT HIS PRIME PASSION. ALL BECAUSE OF MR PRIMETIME HIMSELF, DION SANDERS TEXT THEM ALL THE TIME. AND YOU KNOW, JUST
TELL THEM THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING FOR DIONNE’S YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM. IN TRUTH AFTER HE WOWED EVERYONE WITH HIS BAKED GOODS AT A TEAM PICNIC. ONE DAY HAPPY GOT THE INVITE TO SANDERS HOUSE TO MAKE DESSERTS. HE WAS 12. FORWARD SEVEN YEARS LATER. I WAS ABOUT 19. HE SHOT ME A TEXT ONE NIGHT. IT WAS LIKE DAYS A WEEK. ALRIGHT COOL. LET’S DO IT. LET’S DO IT. IT WAS AT A BIG PART A BIG MOMENT IN MY LIFE BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE A KIND OF LIKE A BREAKING POINT FOR ME. SO YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS REMEMBER
THAT MOMENT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY THE INTO YOUR PLACE OF WORK WHERE ALL OF IT HAPPENS, CORRECT? YEAH. MY TEST. SOMETHING’S MIGHT MY, YOU KNOW, JUST PLAY AROUND AND GET SOME IDEAS FOR WHENEVER I GO TO THE GUYS THE GUYS HAVE LITTLE HUMBLE THE BOAT. YEAH YES . SO I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THE GUYS FAVORITES HAVE THE SMOKED SALMON AND SMOKED CHICKEN FROM BROCCOLI AND GROUND TURKEY AND RICE. JUST ONE DISEASE FAVORITE MEALS WHEN WE’RE EATING HEALTHY, SO FIRST WE’RE GONNA START WITH CUTTING UP SOME BROCCOLI FOR THE ROASTED BROCCOLI TO GO WITH
THE GROUND TURKEY AND THE WHITE RICE. AND SO WE HAVE ALL OF OUR BROCCOLI CHOPPED UP. WE’RE GOING TO PUT IT IN THE PAN. HIT IT WITH A LITTLE OLIVE OIL OVEN. WHAT’S YOUR BEST DISH? WOULD YOU SAY? I DON’T HAVE A BEST DISH? YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ALWAYS ASKS. WHAT’S MY SPECIALTY, AND I ALWAYS TELL THEM I DON’T HAVE A SPECIALTY. EVERYTHING IS SPECIAL TO ME. SO BIG QUESTION. I HAVE WHERE DID YOUR NICKNAME CHEF POPPY COME FROM? SO IT WAS HAPPY WHENEVER I WAS PLAYING FOR TRUTH, WE WERE GETTING READY FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME AND I HAD FRACTURED MY ANKLE AND THEY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS HOPPING AND THINGS LIKE THAT BECAUSE I WAS STILL TRYING TO GET BACK RIGHT FOR CYCLE PLAYING THE GAME, AND THAT’S WHERE HAPPY CAME AND THEN WHENEVER THEY FOUND OUT I WAS A CHEF AND COOKED AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. THAT’S WHEN CHEF HOCKEY STARTED COMING INTO PLAY, SO THIS IS GOING TO BE MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE DAY WITH CHEF HOPPY. I’M JUST GOING TO BE OVEN. THE BROCCOLI OUT. THIS IS THE TASTE TEST, LITTLE BROCCOLI, LITTLE RICE HERE. THAT BOMB SERMON.
YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T EAT A LOT OF SALMON EITHER. SO LET’S SEE. GOOD REAL GOOD. THAT’S REAL, AND I DON’T EAT SALMON. EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE NOT IN THE NFL, YOU BASICALLY STILL FEEL LIKE OUR BECAUSE WHILE YOU’RE PERFORMING IN THE KITCHEN , RIGHT FOR SURE. AND THEY TELL ME THAT ALL THE TIME TOO. THEY WERE LIKE NO HAPPY YOU ON THE TEAM. YOU’RE YOU’RE YOU’RE PART TO SO JUST EVEN THEM WELCOMING BACK THAT THOUGHT AND, UM THE ME. FOOD IS UNBELIEVABLE. THAT’S ALL I GOTTA SAY. CHEF HOPPY COOKS FOR MANY ATHLETES, BUT IN ADDITION
TO THAT, IN TERMS OF HIS DREAM CLIENTS HAPPY TOLD ME RAPPER LITTLE BABY AS HIS FIRST ARTIST CLIENT. BY THE WAY, THINGS ARE GOING, I WOULD SAY HE’S WELL ON HIS WAY AGAIN THAN
