The flavors of the Masters, from $1.50 pimento cheeses to private-chef creations
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Because the tournament is built around ritual and tradition, Marty Smith always starts and ends his Masters the same way. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.
Oatmeal and coffee when he arrives at Augusta National early each morning. A beer - two, to be precise - when the workweek is done. In between, he’s sprinting between live shots, interviews and handshakes from sunup to sundown.
The congenial ESPN broadcaster is charged with sharing the sights and sounds of the world’s most storied golf tournament when the camera is on. When it’s off, he is, like everyone here, awash in the flavors of the Masters. “Almost every morning, I’m getting this steel-cut oatmeal,” he said, pouring raisins and brown sugar into a small bowl one morning earlier this week.
“And I know what I’m getting for lunch, too. ” The Masters is usually described in visuals and sounds - the vivid azaleas and lush green fairways, the thwack of a tee shot and the swell of a Sunday roar. But the food is an essential part of the tournament’s story, from the affordable on-course concessions to the private chefs who flock to town to perhaps the sporting world’s most exclusive dinner party.
Fifty-one weeks a year, Augusta is not a culinary destination. There are more than a dozen Waffle Houses scattered in and around town, and the food scene leans toward the practical, not aspirational. Then the Masters arrives, and a parallel food economy springs to life, as corporate clients, high-end renters and players’ entourages roll into town.
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