Keenan Polan takes pride in his work at Barracuda Championship and in the kitchen.
Keenan Polan’s drive for sustainability can be found on the golf course and at home when he cooks. As the director of sales for the Barracuda Championship, Polan strives to change the way golf is played in the future.
“We have a variety of focus areas to create a more diverse and inclusive sport, which it traditionally hasn’t been,” he says.
Polan works to connect the 156-player golf tournament — formerly Reno-Tahoe Open — with youth golfer programs that improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport; military and first-responder programs; and local nonprofits that impact the community.
“I oversee revenue generation from pro-am, sponsorships, and hospitality,” he says. “It’s rewarding to be able to generate money that ultimately goes to charity and allows companies to host their top clients and provide unique experiences to their employees.”
Exploring New Territory
At home, Polan and his wife, Ashley, raise two children — four-month-old Price and two-year-old Nova. Before they arrived, Polan says, he did most of the cooking at home, but he has since split the time with his wife and committed to doing more meal prep.
“I’m not super creative in the arts and music, I have no talent there, so cooking is one of my creative outlets,” he says.
About 10 years ago, he discovered he had a gluten intolerance and began exploring more nutritious homemade cooking, whole foods, and gluten-free and paleo doughs that allowed the family to expand its options.
“Last year, we took a leap and built five planter boxes with some squash, zucchini, kale, spinach, blackberries, raspberries, and herbs,” he says. “That’s been the cool part of cooking — to be able to make a rib eye, then go out into the garden to see what will pair well with it, then make as many meals as possible from that.”
They recently realized vines in their backyard fruited wine grapes, opening new opportunities to explore organic wine flavors they already enjoyed from the store. After linking up with other friends with the same “problem” and learning to ferment wine at home, they filled 30 bottles with homemade red and white wines.
While the children can’t try wine yet, Polan and his wife teach them to enjoy the homegrown whole foods in hopes they will gain an appreciation for them in the future.
“I made Korean short ribs with broccolini the other night, and our daughter loves rice (not so much broccoli yet), but I cut off a small portion of the short ribs for her and she loved it!” he says. “She loves Thai food, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and squash, but certain vegetables she’s not a fan … But she loves salsa!”
The Barracuda Championship is July 15 – 21 this year. For details, visit Barracudachampionship.com.
Sweet Potato Mash with Bacon and Jalapeños
(courtesy of Keenan Polan, director of sales, Barracuda Championship in Reno. Serves 4 to 5)
This is a great side dish for parties and the holidays, and it pairs well with beef, ham, and turkey. Keenan Polan prefers to serve it with a rib eye and broccoli or asparagus.
4 whole sweet potatoes
2 jalapeño peppers, diced
4 strips uncured bacon
½ cup coconut cream or grass-fed dairy butter
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 385 degrees F for 12 to 14 minutes. Put bacon on cooking sheet and bake until crispy. Remove, drain, and chop.
Turn up heat in oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and add to preheated oven. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside to rest, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop the inside into a bowl. Add the coconut cream and jalapeño peppers. Stir well to combine. If you want creamier potatoes, use an immersion blender or hand mixer. Fold in half the bacon.
Transfer mixture to a serving bowl and garnish the top with remaining bacon. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
