On Super Bowl Sunday, Donna Kelce Is All About the Dips

Perhaps not surprisingly, Donna Kelce hasn’t watched a whole lot of football at home lately. Instead, she's been at NFL stadiums across the country, watching her sons, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and now-retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, play in some of the league’s most high-stakes games. Mama Kelce has even watched her boys face off against each other in the Super Bowl—twice.

Because she’s got so much experience with game-day eats, Donna has been tapped to serve as judge for this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off. The annual contest is football-themed this year, and the champ wins $50,000 and the title of Most Valuable Baker. (MVB! MVB!)

Ahead of the Bake-Off, I talked with Donna about her game-day snacking routine, her love for really great store-bought dips, and how she plans to enjoy the Super Bowl, even though her son’s team won’t be playing.

Long before her sons made it to the NFL, Donna has been busy on game day. When Travis and Jason were growing up, she spent a lot of time traveling to their games, along with her job at a bank. “I tried to do the least amount that I absolutely had to do in order to get things on the table,” Donna says. And for her, a lot of the time, that meant turning to her favorite dips—especially the cheesy ones. 

“I’ve always loved dips,” she says. “I love spinach and artichoke dip, love ranch dip. I love that Tex-Mex dip where you layer the beans and sour cream and other things.” She especially enjoys serving those dips with fresh-cut vegetables instead of having a salad on the table, because, as she says, “they’re messy, and they get all over the floor.” 

Because she’s been so time-strapped during football season, Donna’s never afraid to go with a store-bought option. “Just buy the dip. You don’t have to make it yourself. There are so many good dips at your favorite food stores, and I just think you can’t go wrong with that,” she says. “It’s a lot easier than making it yourself. I’ve done it from scratch plenty of times, but I tend not to anymore.” 

This year, Donna looks forward to catching the Super Bowl at home, even if she is bummed that Travis’s team isn’t in the playoffs. Instead of being at the stadium, she’s planning a low-key gathering at home in Florida.

“With the recent elimination of the Chiefs this year, I don’t think I’m going anywhere for the Super Bowl. This will be my first year that I’m actually at home, and I think it’ll be fun,” Donna says. “We might get together with some friends and just have a great time. I’m going to enjoy the game and hopefully just watch it like a fan.”