Food that scores: NAIA players get a taste of Siouxland from upscale to down-home fare

"My staff and I will be feeding up to 900 athletes, coaches and sponsors during the NAIA banquet as well as VIP lunches and dinners throughout the week," said the veteran chef. "So yeah, that's quite an undertaking." 

Luckily, Dowd has it down to a science.

"Originally, our NAIA banquets were sit-down affairs," he said, inside the office of his Sioux City Convention Center kitchen. "But we discovered (the athletes) wanted to get up and talk with another."

This is why the banquet has progressed into more of a buffet that has between four and five dedicated stations.

"It's easier because no one has to wait long for their food," Dowd said. "It also gives people a chance to socialize with one another."

In addition, he said buffets provide more freedom for guests who are vegetarians or who may have special dietary restrictions.

But Dowd isn't restricted when it comes to the creativity of his cuisine, which can be called "upscale Midwestern fare."

That's especially true for the sit-down lunches and dinners Centerplate will prepare during the week.

Some of the meals Dowd may be serving include a Balsamic-glazed chicken breast as well as Sriracha-bourbon pulled pork.

"Whenever the NAIA comes around, we always put our best foot forward," he said. "It may seem like controlled chaos but we love it."

Terri Rexius also loves it when the NAIA Championship comes to Sioux City. The owner of Bob Roe's Point After said she and her dad Bob Roe have been sponsors of the event for years.

"We're a sports restaurant and it makes sense for us to be supportive of athletes," she said at the 2320 Transit Ave. eatery. "But more importantly, we want to be good community members. That's always been my dad's philosophy."

This is why Rexius goes all out to provide NAIA athletes and coaches with plenty of Bob Roe's signature pizza and wings.

"You know, it's kind of nice feeding people who don't have to worry that much about their diets," she said. "These girls need plenty of protein and they'll be working off plenty of calories on the basketball court."

Over the years, Rexius said a visit to Bob Roe's Point After has become an annual ritual for some teams.

"Who knows? We might be considered a lucky charm, I guess," she said.

But it's the athletes who return long after their athletic glory that touches Rexius' heart the most.

"We've had people who've stopped in years after they played in a championship game," she said. "They'll come in for some pizza and some wings just because we represented a nice memory for them.

"Larger cities may host NAIA tournaments but I think Sioux City does it best," Rexius said. "It may have to do with some sense of Midwestern friendliness. Still, it feels good knowing we're making a lasting impression on our guests."