Ever Dreamed of Top Chef-Worthy Food at a Ballgame? Now It's Here
And here's where you can get it.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if contestants from Bravo's Top Chef ran a concession stand? Honestly, we have. After all, there are only so many hot dogs one can take at a ballgame without hankering for a snack that's a bit more... creative. (Gail Simmons gets it.) Well, now we no longer have to wonder. (Or settle for below-par dogs.)
Spectra, a venue management, food services, and hospitality company, has partnered with Bravo's Top Chef to launch a Top Chef Quickfire-themed concession stand to the home stadium of the Chicago Fire soccer team in Illinois.
"We decided on a Top Chef Quickfire concept because it makes high-end cuisine approachable for fans to enjoy, while enhancing the experience of going to a soccer game," said Spectra's aptly titled "culinary excellence" VP in a statement. "Spectra is an industry innovator, so we’re excited to be partnering with Top Chef to bring their culinary artistry from television and put it in the hands of their fans. They’ll get an actual taste of what they’ve been seeing on-screen for 15 seasons now.”
What exactly will fans be tasting? That will depend on the season. Menu items will rotate throughout the year to showcase dishes that were featured in previous seasons.
The kickoff menu will have options from a variety of Top Chef alum, including Joe Flamm, Carrie Baird, Chris Scott, John Tesar, Dale Talde, Radhika Desai, Spike Mendelsohn, Tre Wilcox, Cliff Crooks, and Harold Dieterle.
Score one for the fans! The concept will open on June 30, but a media preview on June 28 let select guests sample some of the dishes... and Carrie and Chris were among the attendees at the event.
Talking to The Feast from the stadium, Chris shared: "I just had a chicken sandwich, a very yummy cucumber-pineapple salad, and our poutine." The dish, Carrie explained, was the dish that she and Chris collaborated on for the Tailgate-theme challenge in Season 15 — and it happened to be the winning dish, thank you very much.
Topped with chili, the dish is also made with "stadium fries," which Chris described as "big old, crispy steak fries." And if there's anything that pairs well with crispy snacks, it's watching a game — and soccer is as good as any.
"As much as I love football, it's nice to see this version of football as well: the original football," Chris said.
