Pro pickleball players spend plenty of time in and around the kitchen, but Pickleballtv’s newest series is testing their kitchen skillset without the dinks, resets, and counters.

"Pickleball Eats" follows Pickleball Inc. social media coordinator Bannon Clark as he visits local restaurants at PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball stops around the country with some of pickleball’s biggest stars.

“'Pickleball Eats' is a concept that I came up with really early on working in pro pickleball. I realized a couple months in that a lot of players are foodies. We obviously get to travel all over the country, go to some really awesome local restaurants and cool places, and I wanted to bring something together with two of my favorite passions: pickleball and food.”

The program is more than just a series of interviews at different restaurants, however; it requires active investment on the side of the players.

“We actually get the players to cook, and that to me is one of the coolest things about it. You really get to see their personality. I think that’s one of my favorite parts because they’re standing right next to the chef, full-on cooking and learning.”

For each episode, Clark and the featured player visit a local restaurant, where the player gets to make a dish with the chef. Afterwards, they eat together over a casual interview.

“The execution of it is really funny,” Clark admits. “I go to a restaurant and basically ask, ‘Hey can we bring someone that’s not a chef—who’s a professional pickleball player of all things—and then can we cook in the back of the kitchen during your dinner service?’”

The first episode was shot in December of 2025 at the PPA Tour event in Daytona Beach, FL with Connor Garnett.

While filming that episode (and trying alligator for the first time), Clark ran into Anna Leigh Waters and her family, who happened to be dining at the same restaurant.

Waters, of course, hosts her own cooking-inspired interview series on YouTube called In the Kitchen.

 

It makes sense, then, that Waters was the featured guest on the next episode that was shot in Palm Springs, CA during the 2026 PPA Masters in January.

And after that, Grayson Goldin and Hannah Blatt came on for a joint episode, also in Palm Springs.

For the Palm Springs native Clark, getting to visit familiar restaurants—this time in a professional capacity—was a special occurrence.

“Shooting in Palm Springs was a dream come true. I got to go to restaurants that I was familiar with growing up, being born and raised there."

Clark has filmed, produced, and edited three more episodes over the last several months with Anna Bright, Ben Johns, and Blaine Hovenier at PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball stops across the country.

Aside from cultivating a memorable experience alongside these players, the 24-year-old takes the most pride in bringing out the personalities of the athletes in each episode.

“I just want to get to know more about them outside of pickleball. We know what they’re capable of on the court, but I think it’s just more about learning about their interests off the court as well. It’s a lot of research, but I’ve also gotten to know these people through working in social media for the tour over the last year, and that’s been super helpful."

Season 1 of Pickleball Eats premieres Sunday, Sept. 6 directly following Championship Sunday coverage of the Veolia Pickleball National Championships with Anna Leigh Waters’ episode, and new episodes will premiere each following Wednesday at 7pm ET on Pickleballtv.

Here is the full episode rollout schedule:

            Sunday 9/6 (Series Premiere): Anna Leigh Waters-Palm Springs, CA

            Wednesday 9/9 @ 7pm ET: Anna Leigh Waters-Palm Springs, CA

            Wednesday 9/16 @ 7pm ET: Connor Garnett-Daytona Beach, FL

            Wednesday 9/23 @ 7pm ET: Grayson Goldin and Hannah Blatt-Palm Springs, CA

            Wednesday 9/30 @ 7pm ET: Anna Bright-McKinney, TX

            Wednesday 10/7 @ 7pm ET: Blaine Hovenier-St. Louis, MO

            Wednesday 10/14 @ 7pm ET: Ben Johns-Orlando, FL

Although Clark has already welcomed some of pickleball's biggest stars to the program, he has a clear idea of who he would like to have on next: Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio.

“I’d have to figure out the restaurant, but Hayden and Gabe would be funny. I don’t know much cooking would go on, and I’d definitely be a little scared having them in the kitchen.”

Outside of the pickleball realm, Clark would also like to do an episode with 5-time NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who attended the PPA Tour’s event in Newport Beach, CA earlier this year.

“I know he’d be in on it,” Clark noted. “He’s a big pickleball guy, and he definitely knows ball.”