The Green Jackets gather for a dinner each year to kick off the Masters Tournament. (Photo: masters.com)
By Hailey Evans
Every year during the first full week in April, the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia hosts one of the four major men’s golf tournaments of the year, the by-invite-only Masters Tournament. Even more exclusive is the Champions Dinner, a ceremonial meal to kick off the week. The defending champion curates his own personalized menu to be prepared by professional chefs, and only fellow champions — “Green Jackets” — are invited to dine.
“A lot of chefs like to play the game of ‘What’s your death row meal?’” said Michael Kolodzej, the executive chef at Centro. “This is like a less morbid version of that.”
A self-proclaimed golf nerd, Kolodzej got the idea to host his very own Champions Dinner at Centro on April 9. Requirements to make the guest list are much more relaxed, of course, but the chef’s expertly crafted menu and personalized touches feel just as distinguished. He designed each course to highlight dishes that hold special meaning for him in both his personal life and his culinary career. “I would be proud to serve these dishes to anyone, including the best golfers in the world.”
The first course is a Little Gem salad with a “magic bacon vinaigrette.” That is actually what they called it at the Publican in Chicago, where Kolodzej worked for several years. “The recipe is in the Publican cookbook and you can find it anywhere, but it’s a super delicious dressing. It’s completely emulsified even though it’s like 50% bacon fat,” he said. “I love it. It’s a really nice way to start a meal.”
Courses two, three and five come from his time at another Chicago establishment called Nico Osteria. The award-winning Italian seafood restaurant closed in 2023 after a decade of service, and former staff members have scattered some of the most popular items across their own menus years later.
“The one thing we had on that menu for the longest time, that we were not allowed to change no matter the season, was the Brussels sprouts,” Kolodzej said. It involved painstakingly peeling each individual leaf off the veggie and deep-frying them into chips, then layering them over ciabatta with creamy stracciatella cheese and honey. “We used to sell an obscene amount of those daily. If I hated my prep cooks here, I’d put it on the Centro menu full time, it’s that good. But it’s too time-consuming for us to do that, so I’m excited to share it just for the night.”
His fourth course is sentimental for another reason. It’s from the place he had his first date with his fiancee. The Parson’s Chicken & Fish two blocks from his old apartment in Chicago is famous for two things: fried chicken and a Negroni slushy. “It was my favorite day-off spot,” he said. “We would go there and hang out on the patio all afternoon and just pound Negroni slushies and eat a bucket of fried chicken.” (His fiancee is from Iowa and went to law school at Drake, so technically we have Parson’s to thank for Kolodzej’s move to Des Moines in 2021.)
This will be Centro’s first themed dinner in the newly remodeled South Union Bread Cafe dining room, which doubles as Centro’s private event space. Check Centro’s Tock page to reserve a spot and see the full menu.
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