When it opens next week, Las Vegas Ballpark will highlight locally inspired food and drink options, adding a unique element to the new home of the Las Vegas Aviators (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League).
Located in Downtown Summerlin, the brand-new Las Vegas Ballpark will open on April 9, when the Aviators (formerly the 51s) take on the Sacramento River Cats. Ahead of the ballpark’s first game, one of the features that is being noted is its concessions lineup, which will contain a slate of food options from local and celebrity chefs as well as unique beverage choices.
One example on the beverage side is a team-branded beer, as the Aviators have teamed up with Las Vegas-based Tenaya Creek Brewery to introduce the Aviators Ale. Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim will have a lineup of cocktails at Las Vegas Ballpark, and the facility’s concessions slate will also feature a number of options from local restaurants as well as local and celebrity chefs–including Giada de Laurentiis. More from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis has the starring position in a lineup that includes Strip veteran Brian Howard, whose Sparrow + Wolf has attracted a Chinatown cult following. Along with local favorites The Goodwich, Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant &Wine Bar, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Me Gusta Tacos, Tenaya Creek Brewery and Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, the team will hit the stadium’s culinary program right out of the park when it opens April 9 at Downtown Summerlin.
De Laurentiis will serve signature dishes including orzo meatballs, gourmet pizzettes and Italian salads to suite- and club-level guests. Her Frose, a rose-based ice-blended drink garnished with basil, will be served stadium-wide.
Sarah Camarota, hospitality experience curator for Las Vegas Ballpark, said plans for food service have been in the works for a year and are as tied to the emotions as they are to the palate. People go to the ballpark, she said, for quality time with family and friends, so emotional connections tend to form around baseball.
“We recognized how huge of an opportunity hospitality is” in the life of a ballpark, she said. “Creating those wonderful food moments can only enhance those memories.”
There has been considerable change in Las Vegas leading up to the 2019 season. Aside from construction of Las Vegas Ballpark, the franchise rebranded from 51s to Aviators and signed a two-year player development contract with the Oakland A’s, who will take over from the New York Mets as Las Vegas’ parent club. Las Vegas Ballpark is the franchise’s successor to Cashman Field, which remains open as home to Division II professional soccer’s Las Vegas Lights FC (USL Championship).
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