How Buckeye Chef & The Big Game Are More Alike Than You Think

Coming off a long Thanksgiving weekend, there are two things Ohioans never get tired of talking about: good food and beating that team up north. And honestly, the more I look at what I do in the kitchen and the way Ohio State shows up in The Game every year, the more I realize we’re running the same playbook—just in different arenas.

The image above says it all. A little comedy, a little rivalry, and a whole lot of cooking. (Sorry, Michigan fans… but not really.)

When I step into a client’s kitchen each week, I show up the way the Buckeyes take the field:

Prepared. Focused. Confident. Precise.

No shortcuts. No hesitation. No room for “almost.”

A Buckeye doesn’t hope to win.

A Buckeye walks in expecting victory.

And I bring that same mindset into every meal prep session.

Discipline Like a Championship Team

Ohio State’s success isn’t accidental—and neither is a flawless weekly cook.

Every dish starts with a plan. A strategy. A series of small decisions that add up to something worth celebrating.

The Game is won play by play.

Great meals are won cut by cut, pan by pan, flavor by flavor.

There is no wasted motion—just consistent execution.

Adapting on the Fly

The Wolverines change defenses.

Clients change preferences.

One week you need Mediterranean flavor profiles.

The next week you’re craving comfort food or something clean and low-carb.

Just like the Buckeyes shift offensive schemes when the field changes, I adjust menus, ingredients, and techniques to meet a client’s needs—without ever losing momentum.

Flexibility is part of leadership.

Adaptability is part of mastery.

The Spirit of the Rivalry Fuels Innovation

Ohio State doesn’t settle for “good enough.”

And neither do I.

Anyone can cook meals.

But creating tailored, fully customized meal prep in someone’s home—week after week—is a craft.

It requires the same mindset the Buckeyes take into Michigan week:

Stay sharp. Stay hungry. Stay ahead.

That competitive fire is what pushes me to improve, refine, and deliver meals that give clients the same feeling Buckeye fans get on that first touchdown drive: something special is happening, and we’re just getting started.

Victory Is in the Details

In The Game, the crowd sees the touchdowns.

But the real magic happens in the grind:

the practices, the film study, the conditioning.

In my kitchen, clients see the final dishes.

But the real magic is in the quiet steps—

brining, trimming, sautéing, reducing, seasoning, tasting, adjusting.

The details are where champions live.

And they’re where chefs live too.

Buckeye Chef Mentality: Win Every Plate

Just like Ohio State walks onto the field expecting to dominate, I walk into each home with one goal:

Deliver meals that feel like a W every single time.

No shortcuts.

No excuses.

And absolutely no losing to a wolverine.

So whether it's the gridiron or the kitchen, Buckeye Chef and The Ohio State Buckeyes share one core truth:

We show up to win.

Every play.

Every dish.

Every single week.

— Chef Robert — Thee Buckeye Chef