Beverly Hills, Calif. • When the University of Utah football team walked the red carpet Thursday night at Lawry’s The Prime Rib for a quintessential slice of the Rose Bowl experience, Bryson Barnes got to his table, saw his name on the evening’s program, but didn’t know what was going on.
The Utes’ third-year freshman soon found out.
What was about to happen for Barnes included a tall, white chef’s hat, a chef’s jacket, a large carving knife, and a standing rib roast.
Welcome to the Lawry’s Beef Bowl.
Since 1956, the iconic Beverly Hills chophouse has hosted both participating Rose Bowl teams on separate nights to indulge in the restaurant’s “signature” chilled spinning salad, thick-cut prime rib, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, and apple pie á la mode. Thursday’s particular Beef Bowl was significant, marking the end of a two-year hiatus for the event.
In 2021, COVID-19 restrictions in Los Angeles County wound up moving the Rose Bowl to AT&T Stadium near Dallas, eliminating the Beef Bowl, while last season’s Beef Bowl was canceled due to concerns over the Omicron variant that was sweeping across the United States. Instead, Lawry’s catered the meal at the two team hotels on separate nights.
As part of the Beef Bowl, there is a “salad spin” before the salad is served, which was handled by fourth-year sophomore offensive lineman Falcon Kaumatule, and a “first cut” before the prime rib is served, which is where Barnes came in.
“They grabbed me, explained everything that was going to happen, and it’s a pretty big honor to be able to do that here tonight,” Barnes said. “I’m grateful for that.”
So, in the middle of Lawry’s gigantic dining room, just up a small staircase still within view of his teammates and coaches, there was Barnes, donning the chef’s hat and jacket, expertly wielding that carving knife, helping a chef slice a significant portion of prime rib.
Barnes, to his credit, kept everything fun.
“I was thinking there,” Barnes said with a smile. “Happy wife, happy life.”
“It’s a pretty cool experience,” he continued. “Last year, we got stuck at the hotel doing the whole thing, so we weren’t able to have this experience we were able to have tonight. I’m excited to get this thing off, go hang out with my teammates and have some prime rib.”
As Barnes met a surprising number of media and cameras after his chef star turn, he was jokingly asked to evaluate his cutting and plating. Barnes was happy to play along.
“A little rusty for sure, but overall, the game plan, we went in, scheme was good, but there’s little things to tighten up for next week.”
Jokes aside, it is worth noting that Barnes has carved out what can only be defined as a ridiculous career Rose Bowl resume, and maybe one that no one has ever had.
A year ago, Barnes famously came into the Rose Bowl early in the fourth quarter for a concussed Cam Rising. He engineered a game-tying drive in which he went 2-for-2 for 23 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid, plus registered a 10-yard scramble.
On Thursday, he participated in a Rose Bowl tradition that had been uninterrupted for almost 70 years until the pandemic happened.
Not bad for a walk-on quarterback from tiny Milford in Beaver County, population 1,500.
“The Rose Bowl experience, you don’t come across these things very often, so it’s definitely great to be able to come back here again,” he said. “Last year with the COVID stuff, things were definitely limited, so now, we’re able to get the normal experience. It’s just great to be down here again.”
