To prepare for Hard Rock Stadium’s transformation into a multinational melting pot of tennis players and fans, Centerplate vice president and general manager Kevin Mitchell and chef Dayanny De La Cruz have assembled an array of food and beverages that will showcase the diversity of South Florida’s culinary scene.
The Cubano sausage is a specialty of chef Dayanny De La Cruz.centerplate
It almost seems like a logical next step for the Dominican-born chef who came to Miami in 2008 after stints in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Spain’s Canary Islands.
De La Cruz was named executive chef at Hard Rock Stadium in 2017, after nearly six years as Levy’s executive sous chef at nearby AmericanAirlines Arena. Over the past decade, “Chef D” has fed fans at a variety of top-tier sports venues and events, including Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the College World Series and multiple NBA All-Star Games.
The watermelon and tomatillo salad comes with a honey jalapeno dressing.centerplate
And beginning next week when the players and their families arrive, she will add the Miami Open presented by Itaú to that résumé. The two-week tournament has been held since 1987 at Crandon Park, 22 miles south of its new location, and the event’s record attendance of 326,131 could be in jeopardy.
Fans will be treated to delicacies such as her Cubano sausage (she says that her kitchen is the only one in sports that makes its own sausage in-house) with a spicy onion and bacon relish and cilantro served with yucca fries. There’s also her watermelon and tomatillo salad (local watermelon and avocados, queso blanco, mini red onions and a honey jalapeño dressing), the colors of which will make fans think of South Beach.
The tennis cake pops are a perfect way to ace a meal.centerplate
De La Cruz said that because there will be more premium seating this year than there was in Key Biscayne, Centerplate has brought in several prominent regional restaurateurs to showcase their wares: Suviche (Peruvian and Japanese sushi), Novecento, Casa Tua Cucina, Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina and Kiki on the River (Greek) will have branded locations at the complex.
De La Cruz said that throughout the tournament, leftover food will be donated to the Miami chapter of Food Rescue U.S. Additionally, with more than 1,000 tap handles stadiumwide, Centerplate’s beer portfolio is one of the biggest in sports.
Centerplate has operated the food and beverage operations at the stadium since 2010 and last May extended its contract through 2031.
