The Abridged version:
- Rod Cuadra, the new chef serving Golden 1 Center via Legends Hospitality, will introduce new menu items across the arena in 2026-27 season.
- Cuadra worked in Sacramento, including for Legends, before leaving to pursue upscale cooking in the Napa Valley.
- His new items at Golden 1 Center include a chicken parm sandwich, ahi poke nachos and a smoked turkey leg with housemade barbecue sauce.
Rod Cuadra began working for Legends Hospitality, Golden 1 Center’s concessions arm, before the arena opened in 2016. Ten years later, he’s back — this time in the lead role, with a menu to flex what he learned.
Cuadra left Sacramento to helm fine dining kitchens in the Napa Valley, first at Silverado Resort and then aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. He’ll be cooking decidedly different fare for Sacramento Kings games. But it’s the best concessions Golden 1 Center has seen in years — perhaps ever.
Cuadra’s signature items, previewed at a Golden 1 Center media event Thursday, include a chicken parm sandwich (Section 106) cooked to perfection, spread with Bianco DiNapoli tomato sauce and served on a crackly Pugliese roll from Bella Bru Baking Co. Another sandwich uses Mary’s Chicken, cooked on a rotisserie then shredded and placed amid aioli, pickled onions and a creamy slaw on a potato bun (Section 121).
“The food is no different from going to a restaurant outside. You’re getting a great dining experience here as well,” Cuadra said.
Ahi poke nachos (Section 112), a 2026 sports bar staple, can be enjoyed on the scene as well, their flavorful fish chunks draped in a sweet soy glaze and avocado crema for scooping with airy wonton chips.
A cumin-spiced black bean burger (Sections 115 and 216), designed by Paragary Restaurant Group chef and partner Kurt Spataro, with a thin layer of jalapeño sauce spread across a housemade bun, is as strong a vegan option as you’ll find at a sporting event.
The “showstopper,” Legends Hospitality vice president Ryan Golpeo said, is a cherrywood-smoked turkey leg (Section 112), its skin crackling beyond a toothsome balance of muscle and fat from R&G Family Farms in Lodi. Served with kettle chips and a peppery house barbecue sauce, it’s best enjoyed with a little elbow room.
Since opening, Golden 1 Center has prided itself on sourcing 90% of ingredients from within 150 miles of the arena. This season, that means fish and chips made with rockfish caught off the coast of Fort Bragg (190 miles, but who’s counting), sprinkled with malt vinegar salt crumbles and served with crispy, crinkle-cut fries.
“To us, it makes sense to do a fish and chips at a sporting venue. Everybody’s looking for fried food. Everybody’s looking for a beer to go in-hand. And also, we have the ability to get really fresh seafood out here, so it all makes sense,” Cuadra said.
There are a few new dessert additions as well. A toothaching trifle made with purple buttercream and confetti cake will be sold near Sections 108 and 219, while milk chocolate “Kings Bark” loaded with marshmallows, M&Ms, pretzels and popcorn will be available by Section 112. Espresso chocolate cookies, available in lounges and at special events, are a lovely wash of tempered sweetness over the tongue.
The Kings host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday for their first preseason game of the 2026-27 season, with the regular season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 23. Whatever the team’s performance, the kitchen is already off to a strong start.
“Sacramento’s fun, and the food scene is amazing,” Cuadra said. “We’re blessed to have great farms around us, and just doing it this scale, it’s fun to make it happen.”
