Celebrating Dad - Families gather at Riley's for Father's Day barbecue brunch

By Lyndsey BornJune 25, 2009

Celebrating Dad - Families gather at Riley's for Father's Day barbecue brunch
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Celebrating Dad - Families gather at Riley's for Father's Day barbecue brunch
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Receiving help from Higinio Concepcion, cook, Executive Chef Tyrone Grant, Riley's Conference Center, puts out barbeque food before guests arrive at the Father's Day Brunch June 21 at Riley's Conference Center. Along with barbeque items breakfast was... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RILEY, Kan. - Tyrone Grant has a knack with food. He can't explain it, but he just knows how to blend certain foods with spices, he said. As the executive chef at Riley's Conference Center, Grant is in charge of preparing all of the food for activities and events - including the June 21 Father's Day Brunch.

He puts a special touch on every food dish prepared at Riley's Conference Center, said Jillian Singleton, manager of Riley's Conference Center.

The preparation for Father's Day began weeks before the event when Singleton, who is also the catering manager, and Grant were asked for ideas on what to do.

"Basically we thought about Father's Day being a day where most fathers barbecue so we wanted to bring that into it," Grant said. "We came up with some barbecue ribs, some barbecue chicken and pork, just a traditional barbecue with coleslaw, baked beans and all that stuff."

Once a theme was decided on, Grant said, he started preparing by making sure he had everything he needed.

"I am going to get started probably Friday night before the brunch by making sure I have everything out of the freezer, making sure it is thawed out," Grant said. "A couple of other things I can do are getting the meat marinated. I can pan bacon and sausage, things like that."

Even though he has a few days to prepare all of the food, Grant said, it still gets hectic the day of the event.

"I pretty much try to stay focused so everybody else can feel that we are in control," he said.

Food prepared for the brunch included a dry pork rib, barbecue chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, waffles, omelets, sausage and grits.

Sgt. Kevin Rodriguez, Company A, 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, spent time with his wife and two boys at the brunch and said he was surprised by his wife with reservations to the brunch.

"It was good, everything and more," Rodriquez said about the meal.

Every father who attended the brunch was given a barbecue-themed gift and put their name in to win door prizes including a small charcoal grill.