Rodeo kitchen supervisor Britta Van Akin, left, chef Kyle Van Akin, center, and rodeo Chairman Tom Atwell work on making out the food order for the 3,000 barbecue beef dinners that they will serve during the 79th annual Gerry Rodeo, July 31-Aug. 3. Photo by Paul Cooley

GERRY — If you ever get frustrated with making out your weekly grocery list, try to imagine what head chef Kyle Van Akin faces as he prepares his order for the more than 3,000 dinners that he and his crew will serve over four days as a part of the Gerry Fire Department’s 79th annual PRCA rodeo, July 31-Aug. 3.

Heading his list of more than 100 different items are 4,500 pounds of beef, 1,800 pounds of potatoes, 80 gallons of corn, 120 pounds of cottage cheese, as well as 64 gallons of tomato sauce and 250 pounds of sugar to be used in creating the “secret recipe” barbecue sauce. The list goes on to include the vegetables for the tossed salad, ice cream, dinner rolls, serving trays, napkins, coffee cups and many more items that are necessary to make the dinners possible. His list also includes the supplies for the concession stands — hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, French fries, condiments, fried dough and soft drinks by Pepsi.

Most of the items are ordered through Hans Biekert at Maplevale Farms, while other main suppliers are Pepsi, Upstate Milk, Wells/Blue Bunny Ice Cream and Bimbo Bakeries. Maplevale also supplies two refrigerated trailers for storage of the food and drinks.

Kyle, whose day job is with Heil and Andrews Construction, is in his third year as head chef and takes his vacation to do his demanding rodeo job. After delivery and inventory of the supplies, Kyle’s work is just beginning. His day starts at 5 a.m. with getting the fires started in the pits and loading 800-1,200 pounds of beef. He will spend the next eight hours checking and adjusting the cooking temperature by raking the coals in or out from under the meat. At the same time, he is making about 80 quarts of barbecue sauce. By mid-afternoon, volunteers arrive to begin slicing the beef and preparing other items for the dinner.

Meanwhile, the kitchen supervisor, Kyle’s wife Britta, has recruited volunteers to arrive early morning to prepare the tossed salads and cut and “eye” the potatoes. A second crew of her volunteers arrive late afternoon to make the final preparations for serving the dinners and who begin the serving at 5 p.m. each day.

Fans then pick up their dinners and head for the air-conditioned dining area where a familiar face, Janice Rounds, who has been the dining hall hostess for many years, will be missing as cancer took her life shortly after last summer’s rodeo. Her husband Paul Rounds and her daughter Ashley Backer will be filling in for her to honor her memory. By 10 p.m., the final cleanup is done and Kyle and Britta and their dozens of volunteers head home for a few hours of sleep before starting all over the next morning.

The dinners are served from 5-8 p.m. each day, Wednesday through Saturday. Kyle says that everyone is aware that food prices have gone up, but that the dinner price is remaining the same as last year, which makes the rodeo dinner a bargain as it includes the barbecue beef with sauce, kettle browned potatoes with gravy, corn, tossed salad, cottage cheese, roll, ice cream and a beverage, with no tax or tip.

The dinners are just a part of this annual event which includes professional rodeo action with more than 200 cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation competing for $50,000 in prize money, a lighted midway with more than 20 vendors and a free kids’ rodeo on Saturday afternoon.

Fans are reminded that the rodeo is made possible by more than 100 volunteers, and all proceeds benefit the Gerry Volunteer Fire Department. Additional information is available at the website www.gerryrodeo.org or by phone at 716-985-4847 or 1-888-985-4847. Pre-sale tickets are also available at reduced rates through July 28 by phone or online and at the Country Fair stores in Gerry and Fredonia.