Centerplate Swings for the Fence with New Tampa Bay Rays Menu

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a brand new season and Centerplate, the largest hospitality partner to North America's premier sports stadiums, convention centers and entertainment venues, is announcing a new menu lineup and new service enhancements for the Tampa Bay Rays 2012 Season at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"We are proud to be the hospitality partner for the Tampa Bay Rays and to serve their fans throughout the 2012 season," said Bill Tracy, Centerplate's Vice President at Tropicana Field. "We look forward to serving these great fans and are eager to unveil our engaging new concepts tailored specifically for this season by our new Executive Chef."

Marc Spooner, the Executive Chef for Tropicana Field, will oversee his first full season of culinary operations and menu development for all hospitality areas of the stadium, including restaurants, clubs, suites, and quick-serve locations. Chef Spooner will also dedicate his talents to producing creative menus for meetings, banquets, fundraising galas, themed parties, social functions, and weddings held at the ballpark.

Menu Highlights
Chef Spooner and team will have several re-imagined signature items for Rays fans to enjoy this season. General fare stand items include:

Italian Hotdog- a hot dog or sausage served on pizza bread and topped with peppers, onions and deep fried potatoes

Rays Souvenir Helmet Nachos- Nacho chips smothered with cheese, guacamole, shredded chicken, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, salsa, refried beans, black olives, and jalapenos all served in a souvenir baseball helmet

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich- Breaded chicken Breast deep-fried and tossed in buffalo wing sauce. Served on a bun with lettuce and bleu cheese dressing

New suite items include:

Down and Away Sliders -Mini gulf coast blue crab cake sliders with key lime remoulade, served on soft cocktail rolls       

Florida Citrus-Brined Breast of Turkey – Presented with Southern-style cornbread-stuffed turkey roulade, zesty cranberry and Florida orange relish, herbed gravy, Bibb lettuce served with flour dusted Parker House rolls

Grilled Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers - Custom grind restaurant-style top quality hamburgers served on freshly baked buns and topped with butter lettuce, sliced tomatoes, red onion, sliced dill pickles and Tillamook cheddar cheese

Other notable new concepts include the new Bay Grill concession stand in Right Field Street. This specialty grill will serve Gourmet Foot-long Hotdogs. Options include: the Slaw Dog: foot-long hot dog topped with Cole-Slaw, the Nacho Dog: foot-long hot dog topped with nacho cheese, colored shredded nacho strips, and red jalapenos, and the Cuban Dog: a pressed hot dog with relish and mustard.

The popular Everglades BBQ Smokehouse Restaurant in Centerfield is also getting some new additions, including a Smoked Half Chicken and Ribs combo plate and a unique Bacon Caramel Corn Dessert.

In appreciation of Tampa Bay Rays fans, Centerplate will also debut its "Victory Select" menu featuring fan-friendly ballpark favorites:

• CHUG Bottomless sodas
• MUNCH popcorn
• TREAT Event size candies
• BREW Premium domestic beer
• FIT Snacksmart snack packs

Making it easier than ever to find these fan-friendly items, the Victory Select menu will be offered at virtually all general fare locations. Fans can learn more about the menu items on large graphical menu boards installed this season to showcase Victory Select.

Finally, there are several new locations for your favorite Rays merchandise. Centerplate has partnered with Majestic Athletic, the official uniform provider for Major League Baseball for more than 25 years, to enhance the merchandise store located in the third base food court with new signage, fixtures, and decor. Centerplate and the Tampa Bay Rays have also added an authentic game-used merchandise store in Center Field Street called Rays Authentics. Items for sale include game used bases, authentic score cards, used bats, autographed items, and locker-room chairs.

About Centerplate
Centerplate crafts and delivers "Craveable Experiences. Raveable Results." in over 250 prominent entertainment, sports and convention venues across North America – annually serving over 100 million guests. Centerplate has provided event hospitality services to 15 official U.S. Presidential Inaugural Balls, 13 Super Bowls, 20 World Series, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and the largest plated dinner in history at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration. The company was recently named the fastest growing hospitality group in the country by Nation's Restaurant News. Visit the company online at www.centerplate.com

SOURCE Centerplate

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