Creative on and off the court, Nigel Hayes-Davis invented and patented a portable hot dog griller.
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce: 'I'm a vegan and I made a hot dog machine!'
Interviews
7 Mins read
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward Nigel Hayes-Davis has proven to be creative on and off the basketball court. He invented, patented and seels a portable hot dog griller!
Hayes-Davis is one of the great personalities in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Soft-spoken, charming and clever, Hayes-Davis knows how to surprise people, such as the time he sent a message to his mother, Talaya Davis, right after a game in an on-court TV interview.
Inspired by his mother and her ability to grill great hot dogs, Hayes-Davis had an idea for a portable cast-iron grilling tray that cooks hot dogs and toast buns, all in one.
"My mom would always toast the hot dog buns in the pan and it would be the greatest thing ever."
"I remember growing up, my mom would always toast the hot dog buns in the pan and it would be the greatest thing ever. It was a nice little crunch and it tasted really good. So I was trying to figure out how I could do that because I remember when she did it, the buns would always split," Hayes-Davis said. "And then I ended up getting in contact with the right people, starting with my financial adviser. Justin introduced me to a couple people, and then I ended up meeting with Derek for patenting the harana tray. And I ended up meeting Rodrigo, whose company helped me take the idea from here and created something tangible in real life."
That company is called Harana and you can find the device at https://shopharana.myshopify.com/. Here is a video on how it works:
Patenting his device was not a big deal, according to Hayes-Davis.
"The first step is paying to see if a patent or an invention exists that you want to patent. And it's kind of a gamble because if one exists then you kind of lose out on the money to search. But if it doesn't, then you're in the clear," he said. "And then the next step is paying to actually file. And then after you file, then you have to pay to secure it. And it's just a matter of paperwork, honestly, and signing on the dotted line more so than actual work. So it was a very easy process."
The unusual ingredient is butter, as his hot dog griller comes with a brush to butter the buns.
"In the greatest country in the world, America, we love butter. Butter makes everything taste better. It does! Is it the healthiest option? You have your opinions, but the butter definitely improves the flavor," he said. "It's not something you need on a hot dog. But once you have a butter grilled hot dog, you probably won't want to eat a regular one again."
And he is right. I tried to eat hot dogs the Nigel Hayes-Davis way after this interview, grilling the bun and adding butter, and they are so much better. Some of his Fenerbahce teamamtes had the chance to try them last season, when he brought some of his portable devices to Istanbul. He has also promoted it on social media.
"I did last year, and I cooked some for Carsen [Edwards] and Nick [Calathes] and then my videographer, Omar, and they enjoyed it as well," he said. "Again, they have never had a grilled bun. But they definitely enjoyed that. It's like 'Okay, there's a crunch, there's this butter flavor and it tastes better than just a regular hot dog.' So that's really the message I'm trying to get out, is that the taste is something that you'll appreciate and want."
"I want you to buy the tray and eat your entire body weight in hot dogs. That would make me happy."
Hot dogs are eaten everywhere and the next step is the tailgating market. Tailgating is an American concept, a social gathering in which people cook BBQ meat, burgers and hot dogs at the back of a parked vehicle, typically in the parking lot of a sports stadium.
"That's definitely the target market, if you will. It's trying to penetrate the athletic sphere. Tailgating is huge around America for baseball, college football, NFL... there's always tailgating going on. I went to Wisconsin, huge college town, so on Saturdays during the game days you see tailgating and grills around the whole city," he recalls. "And I'm actually working with them now to try and get it incorporated into the Wisconsin system. I'm trying to work with their director and hopefully, I can work with a couple players to try to promote it in my college town. But that's really one of the primary target markets. It's tailgating for sure."
The most unbelievable part is that Hayes-Davis will never sample those hot dogs as he has been vegan since he became a professional player.
"That's the funniest part, isn't it? Isn't it great? I know, I know, that's what's so ironic about it, is that a vegan makes a hot dog grilling machine, and that's perfectly fine, because all of my friends, most of them are not vegan. So I'm really thinking of everyone else. I'm such a selfless guy that I would use my time to create something for other people to use, something that I won't use that much myself," Hayes-Davis said. "I don't eat much, as you say, like, imitation meat. I try to not eat that too often at all. So it's really funny that I'm a vegan and I made a hot dog machine, but it just shows how big my heart is. I'm thinking about others all the time."
Veganism has helped Hayes-Davis a lot, particularily with his ability to see a lot of playing time in most games.
"It's my secret weapon. I feel it gives me energy. I always feel great. I feel like I don't get tired. And there's people that say veganism is bad or it's not that good. In my mind, it works. So I mean, that's what it does for me. And I'm never one to tell anyone to be vegan. I would never tell someone."
Though he said he does not miss hot dogs, there are some non-vegan foods Hayes-Davis does miss: "Parmesan crusted chicken and macaroni and cheese and then just desserts. I'm a big dessert guy, and I know there's milk and eggs and butter and all stuff that makes it delicious," Hayes-Davis said.
Even though Hayes-Davis is not a hot dog connoisseur, he pleads that others should still try his invention.
"I encourage the world to eat as many hot dogs as you can. I actually want you to buy the tray and eat your entire body weight in hot dogs. That would make me happy," he concluded.