Vikings Friday ‘Hunger for Equality’ Program…

EAGAN, Minn. — Over the summer, Oluremi Famodu-Jackson met Tim Williams at a farmers market in Hopkins.

Famodu-Jackson, the Sports Dietician for the Vikings, was looking for new restaurants to cater Friday lunches for players, coaches and staff during the season.

Williams, who owns Who’s Yo’ Daddy BBQ, was looking to grow his business.

A timely pairing was formed, as Who’s Yo’ Daddy was a hit with the organization earlier this season.

“This opportunity has helped my business by exposing me to a larger scale market,” Williams explained. “I have been cooking for many years and serving my community through events like local area farmers markets, but this has given me a chance to expand my current client base.

“Being a Minnesota resident and minority small business owner is challenging within itself,” Williams added. “However, knowing and having the privilege to serve our Vikings speaks volumes that they trust local area minority businesses can deliver the quality of service and a food product that is appetizing and appealing to their expectations.”

Catered Friday lunches are nothing new to the organization. They started decades ago when players had outside food brought in on Fridays to celebrate the end of the work week and give cafeteria workers a break from their usual duties.

The team then took over the initiative, using a rotation of local restaurants to feed players on Friday afternoon.

But Famodu-Jackson, who is in her third season in her role, wanted her department to be able to align with the organization’s equity and inclusion initiatives. The “Hunger for Equality” food program was born with a focus has been placed to include restaurants owned by minorities, women and members of marginalized groups to provide the Friday lunches.

“If the Vikings are going to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, then this is one way — at least in my department — I can help tackle that,” Famodu-Jackson said. “This has been something I have been passionate about for the past two years after the death of George Floyd and with what was happening here with the players. I thought, ‘What can I do?’

“In the nutrition world, I like to call it a white bread world, a lot of the guidelines made have been around Caucasian individuals,” Famodu-Jackson added. “But, I don’t cater to a lot of those individuals on this team. There’s some, but there is a diverse group of guys, and I want to expose them in some way … sto different foods.”

So far this season, Vikings players have chowed down on an array of different food, almost all of them drawing rave reviews.

Williams doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar restaurant, so he rented a kitchen to prepare a spread for nearly 200 people. Trays of chicken tips, catfish, ribs, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and banana pudding quickly emptied inside of Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.