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When Dak Prescott lines up for the Cowboys every Sunday, there’s an offensive line protecting him, receivers doing their best to get open and coaches wanting to make him look as good as possible.
But beyond the action, there is also an unofficial member of the Cowboys who plays his part in Prescott’s success.
“It feels like I’m on the field,” says Chef Hoppie, who cooks for the Dallas quarterback.
Hoppie – real name Manwell McLean – was once a footballer himself in his younger years and has carved out an important niche as a passer for the American team.
And his meals have become part of the routine for Prescott, who wants to take the Cowboys to the playoffs for the third straight year. While Hoppie isn’t concerned with counting the quarterback’s calories, there’s certainly a science to keeping him well-fed.
Chef Hoppie cooks for Dak Prescott (right) and previously also cooked for Ezekiel Elliot
Prescott has been fueled by Hoppie’s recipes all week while leading the Cowboys
Chef Hoppie cooks nutritious meals for his customers, keeping them well nourished for game day
Earlier this week, as the Cowboys recover from their previous game, Hoppie says the quarterback will eat lighter, with a typical meal consisting of cabbage, salmon and a sweet potato or some rice.
But as practice gets closer to race day (Hoppie says Thursday is Prescott’s most intense), the chef’s recipes change, too.
Because Prescott needs more calories that day, Hoppie will prepare more high-carb foods for him, and he can also cook with more butter.
Although the quarterback doesn’t count his calories, Hoppie estimates that most football players need 5,000 to 6,000 calories just to maintain weight.
He works closely with Cowboys director of sports performance Scott Sehnert, with whom he said he has a “great relationship.”
In fact, it’s the relationships that led to Hoppie cooking for Prescott, as well as rookie Luke Schoonmaker (he also cooked for CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliot).
When he was a child, Hoppie played for Deion Sanders’ youth football team – a connection he used as a 12-year-old to bake desserts for him.
He later became the full-time personal chef of ‘Coach Prime’ at the age of 19 and used that co-sign to work his way into NFL circles.
Hoppie used to be Deion Sanders’ personal chef, and calls the coach a ‘father figure’
When receiver Allen Hurns signed with Dallas in free agency in 2018 and tweeted that he needed a chef, Hoppie was able to use the Hall of Famer’s name to score another client, and soon he was cooking for Elliot as well .
He now focuses solely on cooking for Prescott and Schoonmaker, but the joy of seeing one of his customers thrive with his food in their bellies has not faded.
“It always feels good (to see Prescott succeed), but it’s also a product of how he’s been working all week, in his rehab, in his training and things like that,” he said.
“I’m trying to take the smallest piece of credit and give him the rest.”
But apart from the tasty recipes, Hoppie knows that his work goes beyond what he puts on a plate.
“I know more about what goes into it than just the food aspect, I know what these guys want and need before they even know they want and need it.
“Sometimes I’m a personal assistant, sometimes I’m a bodyguard… whatever is needed at the time… It’s not something that’s spoken. But for me it’s just something that’s understood.’
For Hoppie, food has been the common denominator in some of his closest bonds.
He calls Prescott a “big brother” and Sanders – now a coach at Colorado – a “mentor” and “father figure.”
Salmon, vegetables and rice are an important part of Hoppie’s rotation as a chef for athletes
Chef Hoppie participated in the Dos Equis College Football Tailgate Throwdown
“Everything is going crazy right now in Colorado,” Hoppie said of the hype surrounding the Buffaloes following the coach’s arrival. “So I try not to add any extra stress or pressure in that regard. But I did visit (Sanders) before the season started.”
You won’t see the chef running out of the tunnel or wearing sanitary towels on matchday, but with an arsenal of pots and pans he has found a loophole to make his childhood ambition a reality.
“It was always my dream to play in the NFL,” he said.
“But you know what, I somehow ended up in the NFL, and that’s what I’m doing now. So I feel like I’m living the dream I never dreamed.
Chef Hoppie was part of the Dos Equis College Football Tailgate Throwdown