Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

I’ve been eyeballing the setup for weeks. 

Every time I venture out to Nathan Benderson Park to cover one of the rowing regattas, I can’t help but notice one tent in particular. 

It’s roughly twice the size of the standard white tents allotted to each of the rowing clubs while they are in town for the weekend and sits back behind the rest. 

Only it wasn’t the Sarasota Crew’s tent itself that caught my eye; it was the smorgasbord of fruit, breakfast pastries, pancakes, eggs and assorted breakfast meats blanketing the folding tables. 

If I wasn’t hungry before, I definitely was now. 

Who was responsible for all of this delicious food?

As I approached the tent, I saw Marc and Dawn Bukaty, the parents of Riverview senior and Crew rower Sierra Bukaty, manning the grill. 

For the past two years, the couple have been part of the Crew’s culinary team, which is responsible for making sure roughly 180 rowers are properly fed and hydrated during each regatta. 

The Crew’s food team, which consists of a food leader and at least six volunteers, not only prepares breakfast and lunch for regattas held at Nathan Benderson Park, but also the ones the Crew attends in Tampa, Orlando and other parts of the state. 

“We get around a lot,” Marc Bukaty said. 

With a food budget of $2,500, the Bukatys typically do their regatta grocery shopping on Wednesdays and immediately begin marinating meat and chopping vegetables. 

So exactly how much food are we talking about? 

A typical breakfast shopping list includes: 

18 dozen eggs

15 pounds of sausage 

10 pounds of breakfast ham 

10 dozen bagels 

6-7 dozen muffins 

4-5 dozen granola bars 

4-5 bags of oranges 

A case of bananas and a case of apples

That doesn’t include the ingredients for fresh smoothies or lunch, both of which the food team also prepares on site. 

“Not one thing is pre made,” Marc Bukaty said. “Rowers have to be in impeccable shape to be able to continue to exert that energy output. The winning teams all are in great shape, and the Sarasota Crew is know for that.” 

The Bukatys and the rest of the food team arrive on-site at 5 a.m. and begins setting up tents, tables, serving dishes and firing up the grill. 

Within an hour of their arrival, every member of the Crew will have been fed and sent off to warmup. 

Once breakfast is completed, the food team begins cutting up fruit and preparing the day’s lunch, which that day happened to be chipotle bowls, complete with steak, chicken or hamburger, quinoa or rice and fresh salsa.

“The athletes burn so many calories, even when they’re not working out,” Marc Bukaty said. “They need instant carbs for the race itself and then they need to repeat that after the race.”

“It’s pretty exciting and neat that we’re able to give the kids that extra kick,” Dawn Bukaty said. 

***

The Sarasota Crew scored 1,164 points to capture the overall points trophy at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships May 14-15, at Nathan Benderson Park. 

In doing so, the Crew captured its fifth straight crown and qualified eight boats for the USRowing Youth National Championships, which will be held June 10-12, in New Jersey. 

The Crew boys won the Varsity 8+ and the 4x. Additionally, the Crew boys qualified for nationals in the Lightweight 8+, the 4+, the 2x and the Lightweight 2x. 

On the girls side, Sarasota will be represented at the national championships in the 4+ and Lightweight 8+. 

The Sarasota Scullers also will advance to the national championships after qualifying three boats — both of its Women's Youth 2x boats and its Women's Youth 4x.