Sarah Camarota doesn’t want what happens in Vegas to stay in Vegas. At least when it comes to the food and drink story at the new $150 million Las Vegas Ballpark.
Camarota is the hospitality experience curator at the ballpark. The Las Vegas foodie, entrepreneur and former Levy Restaurants executive was brought in to oversee the culinary experience for the Class AAA Aviators.
“We have a ballpark that thinks and acts like a social food hall,” said Camarota, describing the important role concessions play at the Summerlin stadium.
The ballpark views its culinary offerings as part of the experience factor that reaches beyond die-hard baseball fans.
“The true reason why people are coming is to spend quality time with others,” Camarota said. “It’s bonding with your children. It’s having a great night out with your colleagues, being there with your girlfriend. You are really coming to spend time with other people.”
The food story at the Vegas ballpark from concessionaire Levy and the Howard Hughes Corp. — which owns the venue and the Aviators — includes a partnership with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and a suite-level show kitchen that will bring in other prominent chefs.
De Laurentiis — best known for her Food Network shows — will have her dishes featured in the suite level. Her Frosé wine, garnished with basil, will be served throughout the ballpark. Also on the beverage front, Vegas-based Tenaya Creek Brewery has created a custom-made Aviator Ale that will be served only at the ballpark.
The show kitchen in the suite level is highlighted by a custom-made Italian oven.
“We will be inviting in lots of wonderful chefs to take over our kitchen,” Camarota said. “Our plan is that every weekend a new restaurant will take over the club so you really get the extra value, the extra reason to come.”
The ballpark offers four culinary focused hot dogs created by Brian Howard of Las Vegas’ Sparrow + Wolf restaurant with toppings such as Calabrian chili relish, sweet onion jam and pickled mustard seeds.
“We went out in New York. We went to L.A. We traveled around and asked a variety of chefs with sausage-making and butcher backgrounds to take on the hot dog,” Camarota said. “Ironically and conveniently it turned out to be Brian Howard, very close to home here in Las Vegas.”
