'A college party for people in their 40s': Middlesex couple hosts epic Super Bowl party

While most people were buying their Halloween costumes, Brittany and Mike Werkheiser of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick were planning their Super Bowl party.

But they weren’t being hasty.

That’s because their annual Super Bowl party that attracts up to 40 people includes the “App Bowl” food competition with a prize, flip cup, beer pong, a block pool, prop bets, a quarter-keg, décor and food to match teams’ home cities and the game location; a pennant with the names of all attendees; and activities for kids like a bounce house, football cookie decorating, a piñata and board games.

“It’s my favorite day of the year and my favorite holiday,” said Mike, who celebrates the weekend by taking off work every Friday before game day and Monday after it. “It’s like a college party for people in their 30s and 40s with kids sprinkled in.”

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Mike, a diehard sports fan, and his wife Brittany started hosting the party more than a decade ago with just a half-dozen attendants. But as the years went on, it began to grow, especially in 2014 when the Super Bowl was hosted at MetLife Stadium, and in 2018 when Mike’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles, competed in the game.

Every October —100 days before the Super Bowl — Brittany and Mark create a Facebook event page for their party before they start jotting down party ideas, invitees, a game schedule, and what food they will provide in a notebook. The two- to three-page document eventually becomes a draft, and then a final draft.

“Right after the New Year, people start discussing what they’re going to bring for our App Bowl because a lot of people are more about the food than the football,” said Brittany, who “married into” the Eagles, according to Mike.

About 10 entries usually make it into the App Bowl before all party attendants vote on their favorite appetizer or other food item. The person who made the dish with the most votes receives a football-themed prize. Although this year’s prize is a secret to be revealed on game day, in the past it has been football-themed items like a blanket, mug, camping chair and coin bank.

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Some of the App Bowl entries in the past have been dishes as scrumptious as sausage cups and stromboli bread, to as simple as a bottle of gin or a tray of bacon.

“I think he got a few votes for the bacon,” Mike said.

Amanda Hudes, founder of Scotch Plains-based company Smiling Through Chaos, said that to her, “Super Bowl parties are a little about the décor and a lot about the food.”

She suggests that to keep guests both full and happy, hosts should ask if attendants in advance if they have any food intolerances.

“When you go to a party and you can’t eat anything, you’re grumpy and not fun,” she said.

Even during COVID, Brittany and Mike held their party virtually, as well as the block pool and App Bowl. Party “attendants” posted photos of what food item they made and others voted on the best.

“We wanted to make sure we still had the tradition and got people involved for Mike’s favorite day of the year,” Brittany said.

Now that Brittany and Mike have two young kids, the party also includes their kids’ friends and their parents, as well as plenty of kid-friendly fun.

“Our 6-year-old son loves when we have parties, so he was making the list of food we needed,” Brittany said. “He’s excited for his friends to come and play.”

Since kids can get bored during the game, Hudes suggests activities like indoor or outdoor sports games, as well as crafts such as those where kids could decorate plain jerseys with felt and glue.

As an event planner since 2016, Hudes has hosted many sports-themed parties. They have included sports-themed centerpieces, photo booth props, favors, and games like foosball, Ping-Pong and Pop-A-Shot.

To accommodate kids as well as adults who aren’t as interested in football, Brittany incorporates food and décor related to the teams to make it more detailed and special, she said.

Since the Super Bowl is being played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this year, the Werkheisers’ party will be decorated with items like a “Welcome To Las Vegas” backdrop and playing cards and dice.

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“It’s not just about football, it’s about the day,” Brittany said.

For food this year, she’s thinking about serving barbecue to represent the Kansas City Chiefs, whose home city is known as one of the best barbecue destinations in the country.

“But Super Bowl parties don’t have to be crazy like how we do it,” Brittany laughed. “It’s about the togetherness of the day.”

“Not everyone who walks in your door is going to like football or even know who’s playing, so for a good Super Bowl party, people should make the environment fun,” Mike continued. “Think of your guests, and just have fun.”

Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com

Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Super Bowl: NJ couple hosts epic annual party. Here's what it includes