Al fresco dining at its finest, as the Pawtucket Red Sox (Class AAA; International League) are offering the chance for fine dining in the outfield of the iconic Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa.
This isn’t the ballpark constructed by MLB for the Field of Dreams game originally scheduled for August 2020 but then rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but rather the actual field where the movie was filmed. (The MLB field is adjacent.) It’s a partnership between the Field of Dreams site’s operator, Go the Distance, LLC, and Diamond Dining, LLC, a sister company of the PawSox promoting this outdoor hospitality concept in other well-known venues, “Field of Dreams Dining on the Diamond” will debut on the weekend of September 11-12, then continue on several weekend nights throughout the months of September and October this fall.
The “Dining on the Diamond” promo has been a success for the PawSox, with over 6,000 guests enjoying a meal on McCoy’s outfield. The team plans to continue hosting McCoy Dining on the Diamond in the coming weeks, with a waiting list of close to 3,700 total groups, and several new dates to be announced shortly. Designed by award-winning PawSox Executive Chef Tom Whalen, the Dyersville menu will include a pork tenderloin sandwich with fries, an Iowa pork chop plate, and sweet corn on a stick, all in addition to Diamond on the Dining’s core menu.
As mentioned, Go the Distance is the operator of the movie site, led by CEO Tom Mietzel. He was married to the late Denise Stillman, whose energetic vision for the movie site included expansion as a youth-baseball complex after she led a group of investors to buy the Field of Dreams site in 2012.
“Our founder Denise Stillman had a dream of preserving this special place,” Mietzel said. “She worked tirelessly to provide a special place for all to enjoy. She would have loved Dining on the Diamond and our team is honored to be working with this incredible event.”
“We could not be more pleased to expand Dining on the Diamond to the Dyersville, Iowa site that spawned one of the greatest sports movies ever made,” said Dan Rea, PawSox EVP of Business Affairs and Real Estate Development, who along with veteran restaurateur Jason Emmett will help lead this new venture. “In particular, we are grateful to Tom Mietzel for his vision and partnership, and to the dear memory of Denise Stillman, which have allowed us to bring a little bit of our Dining on the Diamond excitement out to the Field of Dreams location that’s been such a big part of baseball’s past, present, and future.”
Photo courtesy Pawtucket Red Sox.
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