Inside the BBQ Powerhouse Feeding Iowa’s Athletes

Who does the Best BBQ Catering in Iowa for the Holidays? Definitely the one Iowa’s athletes love! Our best athletes aren’t actually “corn fed” they’re BBQ fed!

Whether it’s pre-game fuel or post-game recovery meals, teams across the state—including the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, and Drake Bulldogs—rely on Jethro’s to keep athletes well-fed. “We did Drake basketball last night… and the Iowa Hawkeye football team,” said Henderson. “That is a standing catering at least once a week, if not twice.”

In this episode for IowaPodcast.com, host Justin Brady interviews Heather Henderson, Director of Operations, and Ivan Chavez, Executive Chef of Jethro’s Barbecue. Together, they offer a behind-the-scenes look at how their food service operation has become a fixture across Iowa’s athletic landscape. Far from being just a local restaurant chain, Jethro’s is the quiet powerhouse behind many of the state’s top-performing sports programs.

Massive Scale: Feeding Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and Bulldogs by the Vanload

The scale of the operation is staggering. Ivan and his team prepare massive quantities of food, hauling it in two vans packed with hot boxes. The Hawkeyes alone require up to ten full warming trays—called “Shafers”—with custom-designed menus each week, featuring multiple proteins, pastas, and starches.

Chavez describes one particularly demanding service: “We bring around 12 to 14 boxes every time.” For visiting teams like Michigan State, Jethro’s prepared and wrapped 440 sandwiches in just one hour, along with sides and dessert. “It’s an assembly line,” said Henderson. “All of our stuff is fresh and made that day.”

Inside the Locker Room: Three Boxes of Food and 440 Sandwiches

As Justin Brady jokes about the players’ appetites, Heather and Ivan confirm that the stereotypes are true—especially for linebackers. “They come back sometimes like two or three times,” said Chavez. Players often load one box with pasta and another with proteins, with some consuming what could easily be multiple pounds of food in a single sitting.

Henderson added, “We’ve averaged for the Hawkeyes, it’s 165 [meals]. Michigan State had 220.” These operations are executed with precision and speed, often under time constraints and changing conditions. The sheer volume and quality of food underscore the trust athletic programs place in Jethro’s.

The best BBQ catering in Iowa for the Holidays is the company who caters to Iowa’s elite athletes of course.

From Oval Office to Backyard Bash: Serving Presidents and Politicians

Jethro’s reputation goes beyond the locker room. The team has catered high-profile events including a backyard barbecue for President Barack Obama and a barbecue bash for Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, serving hundreds of guests in one sitting. “That was 500 people,” said Chavez of the Hinson event. They also handled private, in-home catering for government officials with high expectations.

“We set it up on their kitchen counter, fed their people, cleaned it all up when they went in the basement. Like we were never there,” said Henderson. One host even called the experience “elegant.” Jethro’s has proven it can scale up—or down—while maintaining quality and professionalism.

Best BBQ Catering in Iowa for the Holidays

Flexibility is the secret sauce behind Jethro’s continued success and why they’re our pick for best BBQ catering in Iowa for the Holidays. Whether it’s feeding 500 in a political rally or 15 at a private dinner, Heather and Ivan’s philosophy is simple: “The answer is always yes.” That mindset has allowed them to grow catering operations throughout Iowa—including remote lakefront locations with no cell service.

They also draw on the culinary range of sister restaurant Splash, offering seafood dishes like lobster mac and even TikTok-famous Dorito pasta. “If Ivan can’t do it, someone on the team can,” said Henderson. “We have all the resources.” As Heather aptly put it, “I would challenge somebody to give me something that I would say no to.”