9
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APR. 15-21, 2022
BXR
(above) Marcus Samuelsson’s Streetbird restaurant will offer their classic “Hot bird sandwich”; “Big
fly chicken and waffle” in Section 112 at Yankee Stadium this season.
Accommodating the vocal
Yankees fanbase on their culinary
likes and dislikes is a balancing
act, one that Senior Executive
Chef Matt Gibson — who
has worked at Yankee Stadium
since 2010 — has taken to heart
as the stadium’s concessions
have evolved from standard finger
food to more complex and diverse
dishes.
“We have very direct feedback
from our fans, but that
helps become better because if
you’re not coming out with 5, 10,
15 new concepts, you’re behind
the 8 ball,” he said. “I moved to
New York to cook professionally,
and this city is so widely-regarded
… the partners we have
the opportunity to work with
here at Yankees Stadium is tremendous
for us and our fans.”
Gibson said the chefs behind
the iconic ballpark’s constantlyupdating
menu have worked
tirelessly to improve their offerings
with new partnerships
— including with many widelyknown
names that have brought
their creations to the Bronx.
His word of advice for patrons?
“Come hungry.”
“I would come hungry,” Gibson
said. “There’s so many different
options from Halal Guys,
to a crispy chicken sandwich
from Marcus Samuelsson, to
a nice glass of wine from City
Winery — it’s so hard to narrow
down to one recommendation —
that we just want people to bring
their appetite and open mind to
the options.”
Much of the Bronx’s recovery
from COVID-19 relies on the
year-over-year success of the
local ballclub as the Yankees
are routinely North American
sports’ highest-valued franchise
with The Bronx Bombers’ valuation
climbing 14% to $6 billion
this year.
As many are itching for a
shred of pre-pandemic normalcy,
Opening Day Weekend
saw the Yankees take two out of
three from their bitter rivals, the
Boston Red Sox — a small sense
of normalcy returned to Yankee
Stadium, for Gibson.
“There’s a relationship between
our sports experience and
food, and as chefs we love to prepare
food,” he said. “Opening
up with Boston and having this
placed packed on Friday was
bonkers. It felt normal, because
it hurt in 2020 and 2021, and
having the fans back and engaging
with the team, the stadium
and our partners is just amazing.”
(left) Senior Executive Chef Matt Gibson (right) and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson talk with the
Bronx Times about the importance of ballpark food.
Photo courtesy Yankees Media Relations
Try a new sampling from Sumo Dog this season. Bobby Flay’s Bobby Burger.
Steak Topped Fries from Lobel’s highlights
an eclectic array of food offerings
at Yankee Stadium this season.
NYC is synonymous with Halal Guys. Now, Yankee
Stadium offers their fa King’s Hawaiian features its Korean Bulgogi Slider. mous Chicken Sandwich.