The volume of food cooked and consumed is staggering. McGuire and his staff cook 200 pounds of meat per meal. The team usually goes through 25 to 45 pounds of vegetables for a single lunch, roughly 14 pounds of pasta, up to 20 pounds of rice, and 10 pizzas – cooked in one of the kitchen’s two pizza ovens.

Such large quantities of food beg the question – what about leftovers?

“Well, there aren’t a lot,” McGuire said, laughing. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years, and I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing how much of each thing we need and we document all of it, and that helps us.

“A lot of the leftover vegetables and proteins, we will utilize in the coming days in a pasta or in a stir fry. If we have 2 pounds of asparagus left over on a Monday, then maybe on a Wednesday, the person making pasta will incorporate that into their dish.”

The kitchen’s lack of storage for large quantities of food and for leftovers works to the culinary team’s advantage, preventing food waste. McGuire orders food daily, which ensures freshness, and he uses vendors from all over the country.

For example, he orders salmon from the North Atlantic, Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand. Eggs and salmon are the two most cooked items.

“They all have different flavors because of their environment and what they eat,” McGuire said of the salmon. “So even if we’re doing salmon each week, there are ways to make it seem different.”

The NFL offseason offers a break for McGuire and his staff, as they only fix two meals a day. The cooks change stations in the offseason – for example, one may go from making entrees during the season to making pasta dishes in the offseason – to cross train.

“That way, if anyone is out, another person is prepared,” McGuire said. “It also helps them grow and learn and become better cooks, and it keeps things interesting. It will help them go further in their careers.”

Finding his niche

McGuire admitted that this past season was probably his favorite. New ownership has the organization moving in the right direction. The Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991, and McGuire’s interaction with the players and staff adds to the joy of his job.

Life may cook up other opportunities for this chef, but he doesn’t see himself leaving any time soon.

“I see myself in this position, in this organization, for a very long time, as long as they’ll have me,” McGuire said. “There’s room for growth in this organization and different ways that I can continue to branch out and continue to help the team.

“There’s so much going on, there’s so much to do for the team that I’m happy to do what it takes and continue to grow and learn.”