Go to Paycor Stadium before any Bengals home game, and you may see fans walking around with omelets or homemade goulash. If you ask where the uncommon tailgate food came from, you’ll be pointed toward identically dressed twin brothers welcoming everyone and serving food with smiles on their faces.

Known as “The Bengals Twins,” Jeff and Steve Nagel, and their tailgate, have become just as important to some fans as the games.

The start of something great

Jeff and Steve attended their first Cincinnati Bengals game more than three decades ago when they were in high school. Walking into the stadium with their stepdad and uncle, the brothers were hooked. They attended games as often as they could with family and eventually got their own season tickets.

“The one thing about it is it’s always been a family thing,” Jeff said. “It’s always been a family event, as we call it, and we just enjoy it.”  

When the two got their first season tickets, they began tailgating with friends. Over the years, more fans joined, coming for the camaraderie and staying for the delicious food. Today, the tailgate is part of Bengals game-day culture.

“Never in our wildest dreams would we have ever thought that it would get to the point where it has gotten,” Jeff said. “But we wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

Now during every home game, new fans find Jeff and Steve’s tailgate, and former players stop by to chat with the twins and grab a bite.

Finding joy through cooking

Jeff learned to cook as a kid, helping his mom and grandmother in the kitchen and fell in love with the art of bringing joy to others through food. He later attended culinary school to pursue his passion for cooking.

He then found a position as a chef at Kettering Health. Although he admits he envisioned a life in restaurants or catering, Jeff knows he ended up in the right place.

“I love being a Kettering [Health] employee because after 20 years everyone has become family,” Jeff said. “It’s important to love what you do, and I really do enjoy myself.”

And he loves that his three worlds—cooking, Kettering Health, and the Bengals—have come together.

More than a tailgate

The twin’s tailgate has always been a lively event, with new menus of fun, football-themed dishes for each game. But it turned into a new experience after the Bengals competed in the Super Bowl in 2022.

“The energy is so off the charts it is just amazing,” Jeff said. “Now it’s to the point of it’s a whole new group of people. A whole new group of fans, players, and family members. We always say, ‘How can [the] tailgate get any better?’ And each game, it’s just amazing.”

But no matter how successful their team is each season, Jeff and Steve always look forward to game days in Cincinnati. To them, being a lifelong fan is about more than the score at the end of that day. It’s about creating new memories with family, both their real family and their growing Bengals family.

“You win sometimes, and you lose sometimes, but you’ve got to make the best of it.” Jeff said. “And that’s where our tailgate comes in.”