How California Rodeo Salinas feeds thousands of rodeo fans.

Each July for the last hundred-plus years, the West comes alive at the California Rodeo Salinas. The much-anticipated annual event lasts well over a week and attracts thousands of rowdy rodeo fans who descend on Salinas for all of the Big Week festivities that include everything from bull ridin’ to barbeque’n (for more, see cover story, p. 20). And whether it’s the cowboy or the cow itself that piques your interest, you can bet your buckle that the California Rodeo Salinas has a committee working on it.

Michelle Dominguez is the chairperson of the rodeo’s Sponsor Hospitality Committee. Her team of volunteers is responsible for feeding the thousands of people who descend on the big sponsors’ tent, and who arrive armed with an even bigger appetite.

“We are proud of the work we do here over the course of the week,” Dominguez says. “We work very hard to make sure that our guests have a good time and are well fed.”

The Sponsor Hospitality Committee, recognized internally as this year’s California Rodeo Committee of the Year, is composed of nearly 150 volunteers who work for months in preparation for the week-long barbecue buffet held each day of the week in the sponsors’ tent, which requires a ticket to get into. It’s a task that requires a great deal of planning and involves a whole lot of people. With seated dining capacity for nearly a thousand and standing room for hundreds more, one can only imagine how much food preparation is involved.

The butcher’s list alone reads like a meat lover’s attempt at writing a country song. Two hundred pounds of sausage. Eight hundred pounds of ribs. Over a thousand pounds of tri-tip. Another couple hundred pounds of shrimp. Throw in two hundred more pounds of good ole’ pork loin, and twice that of their feathered friends. Add all of that together, and that’s what rodeo eating is.

“We take it very seriously,” Dominguez says of the food offerings. “Our volunteers are cooking literally thousands of pounds of meat. They do a great job serving it in a relatively short period of time.”

Along with the volunteers, the rodeo partners with local vendors ranging from Dole Foods and Taylor Farms to Kleinfeldt Family BBQ. These partners either donate food directly, or help with preparation.

“We have a great relationship with the Rodeo,” says Justin Kleinfeldt of Kleinfeldt Family BBQ. “This will be our third year serving on Wednesday night, and it’s something we really look forward to every year.”

Along with the fine selection of prime-choice meats on the menu, rodeo fans are also treated to a variety of fresh breads, beans and salads also donated by local restaurants and small businesses.

“Our partners and sponsors have been outstanding,” Dominguez says. “We rely on their help for the special events, along with the help of our many volunteers on our committee who do the bulk of the work on the back end.”

Dominguez estimates that the sponsors’ tent feeds close to 10,000 people over the course of Big Week – or at least that many appetites’ worth.

“It’s all-you-can-eat, so it’s really hard to say exactly,” she says.

Whether or not you enter the sponsors’ tent, the hungry rodeo-goer can still find some good eats. The front outdoor portion of the Salinas Sports Complex, known as the “midway,” doubles as a farmers market-style food court all week long, and showcases some of the area’s most popular vendors of favorites like kettle corn, churros, tacos and everything in between.

When it comes to the food, there is something for everyone at the California Rodeo Salinas, even if it celebrates a different type of agricultural heritage than the region is best known for. “This is the Salinas Valley, after all,” Dominguez says. “The Salad Bowl of the World. We have to do it right.”

Kleinfeldt agrees, and sees the biggest cowboy event of the year as a good thing for local food purveyors. “We are honored to have our brand associated with the rodeo,” he says.

When it comes to classic Western-style eatin’, the California Rodeo Salinas brings out the most classic flavors. So strap on your boots and loosen your belt buckle, and let the volunteers handle the rest.