Tag: Food Network

The Food Network host and former NFL player teamed up with Ajinomoto to launch Ranch Roster, a lineup of football city–inspired ranch recipes with an umami boost. Ranch already runs the table on game day, but Eddie Jackson thinks it’s overdue for an upgrade. The Food Network star and former NFL player is teaming up with Ajinomoto to give America’s favorite dip a bold new playbook, one built on umami.

Eddie Jackson sees food as connection

Jackson grew up in a small town in South Georgia, where both of his grandmothers worked as chefs. From the time he was four years old, he was at their side. “My grandma used to put me on the counter,” Jackson recalled. “I’d have flour all over my face learning to make biscuits.” He still remembers sneaking tastes of caramel cake batter from the whisk.

Those lessons weren’t just about cooking. They showed him how food was woven into every gathering, from weddings to funerals. “Food has always been the common denominator,” he told me. “It brings people together no matter where you are.”

That foundation shaped his second act. After retiring from football, Jackson ran a catering company, sometimes serving500 people in one night. One evening, he spotted an ad for Food Network Star. Fresh off an exhausting event and eating ramen on his couch, he decided to audition. “I never thought I’d get on the show,” he admitted. But he not only got on, he won. The victory launched his career as a chef and TV host, where his mix of Southern roots and bold flavors has kept him in front of audiences ever since.

Eating his way through football cities

Even during his NFL career, Jackson’s curiosity about food never left him. “The night before a game, I’d always go out to eat,” he said. “I wanted to taste the city, figure out what made it special.”

Those meals became a routine, his way of reading each stop on the road. “That’s how I learned the flavor of those cities,” Jackson explained. “It was about capturing their culture through food.” That habit followed him into his chef career, where curiosity about flavor has remained the core. When he tastes something, he’s always asking: “Why does it taste like this? What’s enhancing it? What could make it better?”

The secret twist behind America’s favorite dip

That same curiosity underpins his newest project. Jackson partnered with Ajinomoto, the makers of MSG (monosodium glutamate), to launch Ranch Roster, a digital playbook of recipes inspired by football cities across the country.

Ranch already dominates game day: Americans buy millions of bottles a year, with sales spiking during the Super Bowl season. What many fans don’t realize is that many commercial ranch dressings contain MSG.

“MSG is the MVP,” Jackson said. “You’ve got the workhorses, the herbs, the buttermilk, but MSG is the one that comes through every time.” He also connects it to his own community. “In my community, we deal with high blood pressure,” he said. “MSG has two-thirds less sodium than salt, so you can get the flavor without overdoing it. That matters.”

A roster of ranch recipes inspired by football cities

The Ranch Roster spans 30 iconic football cities nationwide. Some recipes were easy fits, while others pushed Jackson to think differently. “At my core, I’m a live fire guy. I like smoking meats and grilling, so Kansas City with barbecue sauce and ranch, that’s what I use anyway,” he said. “You add MSG and it just amplifies everything.” Las Vegas, on the other hand, was a tougher call. “Vegas doesn’t really have one food identity,” he said. “So we leaned into steak and lobster.”

New Orleans was more straightforward: a po’ boy–inspired ranch. In New York, everything bagel seasoning found its way into the mix. For Jackson, the fun was in pulling local foodways into a dip that already has such a hold on American tables. “When I played, I already knew the flavor of those cities,” he said. “This was about capturing that in ranch.”

How to try them yourself

The full lineup of recipes launches September 25 at theranchroster.com. Jackson hopes fans will not just make these dips for football season, but also see ranch differently: as a canvas for regional flavor and a reminder of MSG’s role in creating craveability.

“America loves two things, football and ranch,” he said. “Bringing those together just made sense.”