Michael Chavis brings popcorn maker to Nationals' clubhouse

Jessica Camerato

This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The smell of popcorn was a staple of Michael Chavis’ childhood. When he detected the distinct aroma of freshly popped kernels drizzled in his favorite toppings from the visitors clubhouse at Truist Park, he was inspired to bring the nostalgia back to Nationals Park.

Chavis ordered a full-sized popcorn machine that stands in a high-traffic area of the Nationals’ clubhouse for the team to enjoy. He gets it going as soon as he arrives at the ballpark.

“When you walk into our clubhouse, it just smells beautiful,” said Chavis, 27. “It’s just good vibes from the smells.”

Chavis’ “popcorn journey,” as he describes it, began with family movie nights growing up in Georgia. They rented DVDs from Blockbuster, each one viewed with a fresh batch of homemade popcorn.

“My favorite thing to do with my mom was, we would watch movies and she would make popcorn herself,” said Chavis. “Not the microwave popcorn -- she would get it on the stovetop, the oil, the kernels, everything like that. As a kid, I thought nobody else ever did this; I would have thought it was my mom that invented this. … I’ve always had a connection with my mom and popcorn.”

Once Chavis had the opportunity to become a popcorn chef, he began experimenting with his craft. He first used olive oil, then switched to avocado oil. On Monday, he ran out of the movie theater butter he originally used and substituted with melted sticks of butter. Chavis also recently ordered a variety pack of seasonings, which includes Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and cinnamon.

With an expansive popcorn flavor palate, Chavis is a fan of white cheddar and also appreciates a jalapeño spice. But an ideal popcorn would incorporate chocolate and caramel.

At this stage in his experience, Chavis ranks his popcorn production as “a good 65 on our best days” out of 100. He is constantly eyeing room for improvement, from kernels to oils to even the bags.

“We haven’t even reached maximum popcorn ability,” Chavis said.

There is far more to the popcorn than just the taste. For Chavis, it is a way of connecting and building team chemistry. He scoops his own batch and delivers each one with a hand-written note, including a daily bag for manager Dave Martinez. Chavis also made a special guest batch when Ryan Zimmerman visited on Monday.

“I got to hand deliver a fresh bag, a nice bag -- this was probably my best buttered bag yet,” Chavis recounted. “... [The message] said, ‘Made with love for legendary Employee No. 11. Love, Chavis,’ [with] a really nice smiley face. I felt like that was short and to the point.”

The popcorn is also available for players and staff to take at their leisure. Victor Robles, who had been rehabbing in Florida when the machine arrived, helped himself to a scoop on Monday when he saw it for the first time.

“I think my vibe goal for everything is positivity and love,” Chavis said. “But there’s a lot of goals [with the popcorn] because it’s a little bit of a camaraderie thing. I was surprised at how many people came over to interact during popcorn making. … I didn’t think about any of that happening; I was doing it just because I thought it would be sick.

“But then everybody started buying in and being really happy about it. And seeing how happy everybody gets whenever I get the kernels going, it makes my day.”