The Holly Springs Salamanders home opener is June 1st. If you went to a game last year, for dinner at the game, you may have noticed that it wasn’t quite haute cuisine. Papa Johns Pizza, a hot dog or chicken fingers about summed it up.
In their defence, they did have a lot of other things on their mind in order to be ready for the inaugural season for the Salamanders. If you attended one of the games last year, the typical ballpark food selection didn’t raise a brow. This isn’t Fenway Park, or Yankee Stadium. It’s not even Durham Bulls Athletic Park. It’s Holly Springs. Then again; why shouldn’t we have the same food choices as these other parks? Apparently that was the question on the minds of the decision makers this year.
Looking forward to the 2016 season, there is a big change at the concession window. The Salamanders have contracted Pate Dawson Southern Foods for 2016. Pate Dawson-Southern Foods (PD-SF) is the number one provider of North and South Carolina-sourced-and-grown products in the South. The company is a fifth-generation, family-owned foodservice distributor. The fact that they use local growers to source their food was an important factor in selecting them as the new food distributor for the Stadium. Whenever possible, they use local growers to get their products.
We were invited to taste some of the new foods that they will have available, and they were all far above stadium par. Although the final menu hasn’t been determined yet, it will be more like eating at a restaurant than eating at a local ball park. Samples included everything from fried pickle chips to truffle seasoned french fries, and there was even talk about a possible shredded chicken sold in a waffle cone to make a signature dish for the Holly Springs stadium (chicken & waffles). Multiple hotdog choices will be available, as well as deluxe hamburgers. Suggestions were also made to include gluten-free options as well as other items that can satisfy the pickiest of eaters. You can also expect to have kids menu options. The restaurant-quality food is brought in to be prepared easily for quick service.
Pate Dawson Southern Foods is one of the primary sponsors for the annual Got To Be NC Competition Dining that started in 2012. In the 3 years since it started, over 30,000 diners have enjoyed 150,000 dishes, all featuring local ingredients. The 2015 winner was Chef Ryan Conklin of UNC REX Healthcare. (Hospital food apparently isn’t what it used to be.)
Pate Dawson celebrated 130 years as a family owned business in 2015. In 1885 J.H. Pate Grocery was founded in Goldsboro, NC. By 1905 it had evolved into a wholesale produce business. They have remained loyal to the Carolinas in their purchasing.
Opening day is right around the corner, and season tickets are already on sale. Good to know that you can bring your family AND your appetite this year to game, and have a great night of family fun!
