This season, the most important part of Enloe sports–the food–underwent major changes. At Enloe’s home games, including Homecoming, the concessions snack booth was replaced by a bustling kitchen filled with delicious smells of food for the games. I looked to dig deeper into who is behind this new change, and had an engaging conversation with Ana Palacio, an Enloe senior who is heavily involved in concessions.

Palacio’s mom, Angela Salamanca, brought up the idea of making food at concessions when they would attend her sister’s varsity soccer games. Most Enloe varsity sports games, especially football and soccer, can get very busy. “You miss the whole game, just waiting for food from the food trucks,” Palacio said. Many Enloe students echoed this concern and hoped for a much more streamlined experience: “The food is so important at the games. When the food’s good, you have a good time.”

Salamanca owns a Mexican restaurant called Centro, with an upstairs bar, Gallo Pelón. She opened the restaurant 16 years ago in the heart of Raleigh. Palacio conveyed how many of her family events, for as long as she could remember, took place at the restaurant. Salamanca’s hard work is what has allowed Centro to become a staple location in the city: “She’s super passionate at what she does, she’s a great cook already and tailors that experience for everybody.” It was clear to see that Palacio has so much love for her mom and genuinely loves helping out during concessions. 

Palacio and her mother have partnered with the Enloe Boosters Club, who give them resources for the food that is made. There are also lots of eager parents helping out, mainly parents of the players and members of the PTSA. Even Enloe teachers like Mr. Dextre, the Food and Nutrition teacher, helped out in the concessions kitchen.

This new concessions menu is one that has options that everyone will enjoy. Food options include grilled cheese, hotdogs, wraps, and more! Palacio excitedly reported: “It’s been a hit. We’ve learned a lot through this [fall] season and we’re going to change a couple things to make it more efficient. But it’s been a learning experience.” Palacio and her mom are looking to take this project further in the winter and make a few changes.

Palacio is especially passionate about increasing student involvement. “The reason we want more students is because many students have experience with customer service from jobs and a willingness to help out our school’s community.” There are so many students that would be interested in service hours and taking part in helping Enloe, if they knew more about Enloe concessions. Palacio also wants to take some of the strain off of her mom, the sole cook at the moment. The organization will continue to look towards partnering with other Enloe clubs and advertising on the ‘LoeDown to increase student interest. 

In the latter half of our conversation, Palacio described the lively environment of the concessions kitchen during the season. “It’s really fun! We were playing music in there. [My sister and I] would help our mom set up and then run down to watch the game until halftime. We’ll sit up on the wall and watch. That’s our little spot…me and my sister have gotten so close, it’s been really great.” I could feel the warmth of the tight-knit community from the way that Palacio spoke about her personal experience and work at concessions. She maintained that the hard work pays off when she sees the happiness on the faces of her family and the Enloe student body. 

Palacio and her sister are looking towards the winter season and want you to know, “Right now, the winter and springtime, is the best time to do concessions because it’s really chill, and so nice. We’re even serving hot chocolate.” It’s evident that Enloe Concessions has been a success in the eyes of its founders and Enloe Students alike. With these new implementations in place, we are all looking at what’s to come with the growth of concessions. It wouldn’t be what it is without the work and support of Ana and her mom: “Claps to my mom, she really is doing this all by herself, we help her in the ways that we can, but we can’t commit fully like she can.”