HEY NOW: The Major League Baseball All Star Game took place Tuesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. (Courtesy Sodexo Live!)
The National League pulled out a win and Sodexo Live! pulled out all the stops at the MLB All-Star Game this week in Seattle at T-Mobile Park. And it was a stunner of a home run for both.
The NL broke the American League’s nine-year hold on the series and secured their record of 11 consecutive wins (1972-1982). It was the 93rd All-Star game and the third time the event was hosted by Seattle (1979 Kingdome and 2001 Safeco Field).
T-Mobile Park’s longtime hospitality partner Sodexo Live! celebrated the occasion with a limited-edition menu that reflected the tastes of the Pacific Northwest including seafood, culturally influenced cuisines, craft beers and wine that covered all the bases. The food and beverage offerings were developed by a team led by Sodexo Live!’s executive chef Javier Rosa.
“Hosting an All-Star Game is unique because it isn’t just hosting fans for the one game – it’s more like hosting an entire homestand, with all of the lead-up to the game,” said Meagan Murray, general manager for Sodexo Live! at T-Mobile Park, who added that the team had been preparing for the game since Seattle was announced as the host city two years ago.
The scope and size of the game meant bringing in more help.
Dungeness Crab Roll
“It helps too by being able to lean into our size as a company and bring in support staff from our other Sodexo Live! properties to make sure all goes smooth,” Murray said. “And, of course, the Mariners are best-in-class when it comes to investing in the fan experience and cooking up the best gameday dining experience in all of baseball.”
The team was local and experienced with national support.
“Between Executive Chef Javier Rosa here at the ballpark, along with Carmen Callo and Jeff Leidy, it’s a team that has worked for Sodexo Live! on everything from the Super Bowl to Final Fours to Formula One Grand Prixs and so much more,” Murray added. “We had 1,500-plus team members overall on the main days Monday and Tuesday, about double what we ordinarily have for a home game.”
The team incorporated Seattle suppliers with an eye toward diversity and inclusion. “Something cool this year for the HBCU collegiate game on Friday – we offered some grab-and-go snacks from local Black-owned businesses – Shikorina Pastries, Chaztown Jerky and Lanier’s Fine Candies.”
Items included the All-Star Tripleta sandwich ($17), a house-smoked brisket, pork and ham sandwich with dill pickles and Home Run Derby sauce; All-Star Stromboli ($16) with coppa, finocchiona, bresaola, mozzarella and “Mama Lil’s tomato gravy”; a garlic Fry Burger ($15) with bacon Tillamook cheddar cheese, garlic fries and garlic aioli; a footlong Dungeness crab roll with lemon tarragon dressing on a grilled footlong brioche roll, topped with Tobiko caviar; Northwest wild Alaskan salmon chowder (PRICE) and a blackberry Mint Rainier Mojito (PRICE) inspired by Mount Rainier.
Ballard Pizza Co. – one of Sodexo’s in-stadium concepts with Ethan Stowell – doubled their usual production rate with 500 trays of pizza dough, approximately 2,000 strombolis, 500 specialty Rice Krispy treats and 500 specialty cookies.
“We had something for everyone, which helps,” Murray added. “Our value menu was available for those looking to be more cost-conscious, and we had plenty of specialty items for the fans looking to splurge. We know that the gameday classics sold well, and we also know that many fans came to Seattle for the first time, so they looked to explore and venture out of the norm a bit.”
Murray said the game was a “good test run” for the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic to be held in January at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
“We can never have enough garlic fries and Dungeness crab on hand, of course,” Murray said. “There was truly something for every palate, and we were lucky to not run out of product at all.”
