You Have Sarah Camarota to Thank for Las Vegas Ballpark's Killer Food

“It’s not about froufrou or being overly fancy or extravagant or trying too hard,” hospitality experience curator Sarah Camarota explains when discussing her “elevated classics” food curation at the new Las Vegas Ballpark, which is overseen by Professional Sports Catering. “The idea was to create a ballpark that thinks and acts like a vibrant social food hall,” she adds.

You will not find your ordinary ballpark food and beverages at the new Summerlin stadium, which houses the Triple-A LasVegas Aviators and opened to 15 consecutive sellouts. Camarota, a food industry veteran and managing partner in McClain Camarota Hospitality, gathered Las Vegas staples Capriotti’s Subs and Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant alongside other culinary superstars Giada De Laurentiis, Brian Howard, Josh Clark, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. Since hot dogs are synonymous with baseball, Camarota took steps to make sure the new ballpark’s hot dogs were delicious and felt special. “We went to New York... we went to Los Angeles. We spent a lot of time in the Bay Area with our Oakland [A’s] affiliation. We couldn’t find a hot dog that was emblematic and right to this [Las Vegas] Ballpark,” according to Camarota. They threw out a creative challenge to a select group of chefs with sausage-making backgrounds nationwide. Chef Brian Howard (Sparrow + Wolf) responded with his own version of a Chicago dog, called the Chicago Smokehouse, one of four hot dogs under Las Vegas Ballpark’s signature hot dog brand called FLYDOG.

Camarota and her team also developed an elevated beverage program. So far, one of the top sellers is the Aviator Ale by Tenaya Creek Brewery. Cocktails have been crafted by pioneer mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim. One of his signature drinks, the Tito’s Turbulence, (“Our mint julep,” says Camarota), was designed specifically for Aviators fans. “The real pièce de résistance is the Frosé by Giada,” Camarota exclaims. “It’s dry. It’s crisp. It’s not a sugar bomb. It’s not overly sweet.” Camarota wants to give people the food and drink options they want. Her aim is clear. She says, “Frankly, let’s just do it better than, anybody else in the country.”