Peanuts and Cracker Jacks may please the grandstands, but the young baseball players and families that visit Cooperstown All Star Village each summer need something more satisfying and nutritious.
Sodexo Live! is providing the dining experience at the youth baseball resort located in the birthplace of America’s pastime. Beginning the first week of June, Sodexo Live! will offer new menu concepts at the onsite restaurant and overhaul the dining experience for more than 100,000 families that visit every summer. The complex will also add more “live” cooking options with pizza ovens, BBQ pits and new restaurant seating with live music.
A lot of thought goes into the planning as well as the nutritional needs and tastes of the participants.
“We have experience building menus for a range of athletes and are excited to add Cooperstown All Star Village to our roster,” said Carmen Callo, senior vice president of corporate executive chef at Sodexo Live! “Our culinary teams work on finding ways to provide optimal nutrition for these busy athletes while still providing something delicious.”
New menu concepts at the All Star Tavern will focus on local and signature specialties to reflect the culture and influence of the region. The team dining experience will be highlighted by fresh selections that maximize nutrition. Sodexo Live! will serve three meals per day to all participants for 12 consecutive weeks of programming.
BATTER UP: More than 100,000 families visit the Cooperstown All-Star Village in Oneonta, New York, each summer. (Courtesy venue)
“Our approach is similar to how we’d create a menu for collegiate athletes, but keeping in mind different nutritional goals and understanding that younger athletes may be excited about more familiar dishes that can still help them reach their goals,” Callo said. “We want them to be properly fueled and ready to give it their best all season long. Serving three meals a day for 12 weeks also gives us an opportunity to see what may become a fan-favorite early on.”
Sodexo Live! serves a wide range of major and minor league sports, including the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park. They also supply the best nutrition for student-athletes at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida, as well as the athletes who will compete in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In addition to major league-style baseball fields and amenities, Cooperstown All Star Village offers onsite lodging for families, full-service dining, swimming pools and entertainment. As of 2023, the facilities at Cooperstown All Star Village are part of the Ripken Baseball family of complexes including The Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, Maryland, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Elizabethtown, Kentucky and Cooperstown All Star Village.
