Centerplate Newsroom

They are culinary icons and continue to serve as role models by mentoring and providing support to future culinarians.

-Foodservice Monthly, September 2009

Here’s where you get the latest buzz, such as articles and information on what’s happening with our company and our clients all across North America.

Click of any of the links below for immediate access.

Centerplate receives rave reviews from Arizona newspaper The Daily News-Sun

Released: 03/10/2010

The Daily News-Sun of Sun City, Arizona recently reviewed our hospitality services at Peoria Stadium, spring training home to the Sand Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners.

Excerpted from Joe Slagowski’s March 9^th article in the Daily News-Sun:

Peoria Stadium is offering some new concepts for fans.

Along the third-base concession stand is Nacho Mamma’s, which sells nachos as well as taco salads, burritos, rice bowls, macho nachos with chicken, beef and vegetarian options, said Chris Eason, operations manager. Prices range from $5 to $7.

Arthur Herrera of Phoenix, a worker at the stadium, said the chicken burrito was good and a nice break from hot dogs, which are often served for workers.

Chuck Eley of Peoria said he goes to spring training games Valley wide and has found that Peoria Stadium is the place to go for burgers.

"This is the best burger in Arizona," Eley said of his regular burger purchased at the concession stand on the concourse near home plate. "And the price — $6 — is good."

Those wanting a taste of the Cactus League can purchase one of the stadium’s specialty burgers, which feature flavors signifying 10 Cactus League teams’ hometowns.

"The Mariners’ burger is French onion with provolone cheese, the Rangers’ burger is a wild west picante burger with cheddar, and the Padres’ burger has avocado and pico de gallo," Easom said.

Peoria is introducing wings, too, in 10 different flavors, Eason said.

"It’s a sports venue, so what goes better than pizza, beer and wings," he said.

Those wanting more traditional fare can purchase $2 regular hot dogs on Wednesdays, or $4 any other day.

Sodas range from $3.75 to $5, popcorn is $3, beer ranges from $5.25 to $7.

Arena at Harbor Yard Welcomes Dunkin' Donuts to the Venue

Released: 03/02/2010

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Arena at Harbor Yard, a 10,000 seat, multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue in southwestern Connecticut, announced today a new sub-contractor agreement with Dunkin' Donuts. Under the new agreement, Dunkin' Donuts hot coffee, iced coffee, Coolattas®, lattes hot and iced and hot chocolate will be sold at Arena events.

"Dunkin' Donuts is always looking for new ways to be there for our customers," said B. N. Mahesh, local Dunkin' Donuts franchisee. "We are proud to have a presence at one of our customers' favorite local venues, Arena at Harbor Yard."

New backlit signage and equipment displaying the Dunkin' Donuts insignia have been installed. Dunkin' Donuts hot coffee, iced coffee, Coolattas®, lattes hot and iced and hot chocolate became available for purchase on Saturday, when the Arena hosted the Harlem Globetrotters.

"We are thrilled to offer Dunkin' Donuts selections to our guests at Arena at Harbor Yard," said Lynn Carlotto, General Manager of Arena at Harbor Yard. "This agreement enhances our existing menu line up with premium brand name products already well known to our customers."

Arena at Harbor Yard remains the home to Fairfield University Men's and Women's Basketball and the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The venue also hosts major music attractions, various family shows, NCAA championships, ice skating spectaculars, conferences as well as trade and consumer fairs.

Arena at Harbor Yard is managed by Centerplate, Inc.

About

Arena at Harbor Yard

Arena at Harbor Yard is a state-of-the-art 10,000-seat entertainment and sports venue located along Interstate 95 at the junction of Routes 8 and 25 in Bridgeport, CT. The Arena opened on October 10, 2001. It is the home of the American Hockey League Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the premier affiliate of the National Hockey League New York Islanders. Arena at Harbor Yard is also the home court for Fairfield University's Men's and Women's NCAA Division I basketball teams. In addition, Arena at Harbor Yard presents the most popular touring events including Smucker's Stars on Ice, World Wrestling Entertainment, Disney on Ice and Harlem Globetrotters. Concerts, consumer shows, business and special events round out the entertainment schedule.

About Centerplate

Centerplate crafts and delivers "Craveable Experiences. Raveable Results." in 250 prominent sports, entertainment and convention venues across North America. Centerplate has provided services to 12 Super Bowls, 19 World Series, key events for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Art Basel Miami Beach, 15 official U.S. Presidential Inaugural Balls and the largest plated dinner in history at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration. Visit the company online at

www.centerplate.com.

Hospitality Partner Showcases Culinary Talent at Grand Tasting Village with Specialty James Beard House Menu

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerplate, the largest hospitality provider to North America's premier convention centers and entertainment venues, announced today its support for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach from February 25 to 28, 2010. The 10th annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which last year hosted over 50,000 guests, is a distinguished, open-air event showcasing the talents of the world's most renowned chefs and personalities including Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain. As part of its support, Centerplate will donate its kitchen and facility resources at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) to celebrity chefs and Florida International University (FIU) students in preparation for the festival's marquee Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ event, a celebration of barbeque and champagne pairings. Centerplate will also build its own branded installation on the sand in the Grand Tasting Village, exhibiting Florida-flavored dishes from Centerplate's esteemed chefs, including MBCC Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett's menu that was showcased at the James Beard House last month.

Celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Todd English and Tony and Pat Neely will take over the gourmet kitchen at Centerplate's partner venue, the MBCC, teaming up with culinary students at FIU to execute menus for the popular Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ party on Friday, February 26. Because of Centerplate's expansive kitchen facility, this will be the first year that all participating chefs will be able to prepare their BubbleQ dishes under the same roof. Select BubbleQ dishes include Michelle Bernstein's Kobe Beef Short Rib Taco, Tim Love's Lamb Belly BLT and Emeril Lagasse's Creole Pulled Pork Sandwich with Spicy Coleslaw. Centerplate will also execute the set-up and delivery of each dish to BubbleQ's private beach location.

"Our partnership with Centerplate allows our students the opportunity for interaction with great role models like Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett," said Michael Moran, Chef-Instructor at Florida International University and Culinary Coordinator to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. "Being able to work together with Centerplate and their team in a state-of-the-art facility is an example of the hospitality industry at its best." FIU's School of Hospitality is a direct beneficiary of proceeds from the BubbleQ and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which to date has raised over $8 Million for the University.

At Centerplate's installation at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village on Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28, Centerplate's local culinary talent including Jonathan Barnett and Marcia Brooks of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Orlando Morales and Dan Filarecki of Sun Life Stadium and Peter Koralewicz of the Bank Atlantic Center, will offer items from Barnett's menu at the James Beard Foundation's recent "Unconventional Chefs" dinner in New York City. Guests to Centerplate's booth will enjoy Chorizo-Spiced Duck with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Toasted Cornbread Croustade and Valencia Orange Glaze and Freshwater American Snapping Turtle Soup with Spinach, Rainwater Madeira and Yuca Crisp, both dishes that reflect Barnett's penchant for local flavors and techniques.

"We are proud to open our kitchen at the Miami Beach Convention Center to the chefs and students at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival," said Bob Balsam, General Manager at the Miami Beach Convention Center. "Centerplate has long given our facility a reputation for culinary excellence and we look forward to showing off the resources and menus that keep our guests raving."

"This is an amazing opportunity for Centerplate to showcase our culinary talent for an audience of the country's gourmet elite at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival," said Eric Bayne, Centerplate's General Manager at the Miami Beach Convention Center. "Chef Barnett's James Beard House menus show the level of expertise and service we offer our clients every day."

This announcement follows other recent Centerplate accomplishments, including acting as official food service partner to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding as well as well as playing a significant role in hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver during which the company expects to serve over 900,000 meals.

About Centerplate

Centerplate Donates Services for Jerry's Artarama "Art for Haiti" Auction

Released: 02/24/2010

Art for Haiti Auction and Gala Held by Jerry's Artarama

Jerry Artarama is proud to sponsor the upcoming charitable art auction and gala benefitting Habitat for Humanity's relief efforts in Haiti. The Art Auction and Gala event will be on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center located in Raleigh North Carolina.

Art Auction and Gala

Art for Haiti: Auction and Gala is being held by Jerry's Artarama to raise money to help build homes for victims of the Haitian earthquake and to promote talented artists from all over the United States. 2D art from all types of media will be donated by national artists for a live and silent auction with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity's relief efforts in Haiti. The Raleigh Convention Center donated 5,500 square feet for the black tie optional event and Centerplate, a premier hospitality company currently serving the 2010 Winter Olympic Game has generously donated all of the catering for the Art Auction and Gala.

"We have been really touched by the tragedy in Haiti and want to do all we can to help out," said Heather Goldstein, VP of Artist Resources. "We proudly chose Habitat for Humanity to help us help Haiti." Since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, over a million people were left homeless and 200,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. For twenty-six years Habitat for Humanity has been serving families in Haiti. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will go toward Habitat for Humanity's goal to help improve the lives of 50,000 Haitian families.

Ticket Information:
Tickets for the event are only forty-five dollars and include dinner catered by Centerplate and a live and silent art auction.
Contact: Heather Goldstein heather@jerrysartarama.com to purchase tickets.
Artists who would like to participate are encouraged to send 2D artwork to:

Jerry's Artarama
Attn: Heather Goldstein
6104 Maddry Oaks Ct
Raleigh, NC 27615

By March 28, 2010 for the silent auction and by March 20, 2010 for the live auction. Jerry's Artarama highly recommends dropping off work at the upcoming event, Art-A-Thon for Haiti on March 20 at White Collar Crime to give all attendees a taste of what they will see at the auction.

For more information about the event visit: Art Auction and Gala For Haiti at http://www.jerrysartarama.com/community/Art-Auction-and-Gala/ or contact Heather Goldstein at 919-878-6782 ext# 115 or heather(at)jerrysartarama(dot)com.

About Jerry's Artarama Art Supplies:
One Man's Vision To Provide True Value For Artists ...Jerry opened his own art materials and supplies store in 1967, introducing thousands of budding and established artists to discount art supplies. Jerry believed in treating customers like family, and that tradition continues to this day. Jerry's Artarama is one of the largest online retailers of art supplies and materials.

###

Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1FbXB0LUluc2UtTWFnbi1NYWduLVBpZ2ctWmVybw=

Read about Centerplate at the Olympics in the Feb 23rd edition of Street & Smith's Sport Business Journal

Released: 02/24/2010

Centerplate Takes On Olympian Task In Vancouver

February 23-Centerplate, fresh off its Super Bowl food operation in Miami, has shifted its focus to another huge sports event, feeding fans, athletes and media at the Vancouver Olympics.

The food provider expects to serve 900,000 meals at the Games, said Bob Pascal, the firm’s senior vice president of marketing. It has existing contracts at Olympic Stadium, Vancouver Convention Centre and the Telus Whistler Conference Center.

That number also includes serving meals for the U.S. ski and snowboarding teams, which includes providing hospitality services for the teams’ social events during the Games. Centerplate is also responsible for feeding 13,000 members of the media.

Centerplate officials could not provide sales figures, based on its agreement with the Vancouver Olympic Committee, Pascal said.

The Olympic contracts, unlike Super Bowl deals, prohibit Centerplate from raising prices, said John Erickson, the vendor’s Seattle-based vice president of operations for the Olympics.

In greater Vancouver, the biggest challenge is mobilizing Centerplate’s 5,000-member work force to cover all the venues and events, and coordinating transportation on a daily basis is key, Erickson said. To supervise efforts, Centerplate brought in managers from its sports and convention center accounts in Winnipeg, Toronto, Indianapolis and Southern California, Erickson said.

Olympic Stadium, known as BC Place the rest of the year, by itself is a tremendous undertaking, he said. The 60,000-seat facility plays host to the sold-out opening and closing ceremonies and the nightly medal presentations, a 90-minute event including short concerts following the medals distribution.

Feeding the Olympics work force is also part of the equation and it’s a 24/7 effort, Erickson said. Internally, Centerplate is preparing 64,000 meals for volunteers, local support and the concessionaire’s 5,000 part-time employees in a building next to Olympic Stadium.

Centerplate is one of three major league food providers working the Winter Games. Aramark is feeding fans attending events at Canada Hockey Place (renamed from General Motors Place for the Games), where it has the NHL Canucks’ food contract. Sodexo is providing meals at the athlete villages.

OLYMPIC STADIUM FOOD PRICES

A SAMPLING

All U.S. dollar figures

CONCESSIONS:

Belgian waffle and coffee — $8.20

Dome dog — $5.30

Grilled smokie — $6.70

Teriyaki salmon on Portuguese roll — $8.70

Spicy wedge potatoes — $5.80

Caesar salad — $6.70

Molson draft beer — $7.20

Powerade — $4.30

Personal pizza — $6.70

Shanghai noodles – $8.70

SUITES:

Opening and closing ceremonies menu, $3,728 (serves 12, about $310 a person)

Among the items available:

Snacks — Chocolate-drizzled peanut butter pretzel pralines, maple syrup roasted Agassiz hazelnuts with sea salt, red pepper hummus with toasted pita chips and fresh vegetables

Pre-event reception — Canadian maple margarita shrimp lollipopettes, Okanagan Cabernet braised beef short ribs with pan-fried Yukon potatoes topped with goat’s cheese, fire-roasted Fanny Bay oysters, Cabernet roast Okanagan pear salad

Entrees — Baked Pacific Winter King salmon cured with pastrami seasoning and baked in a puff pastry, BC oyster roast stew, vegetarian tacos, roast “First Nations” venison loin, “Peace Country” braised lamb

Dessert — Canadian maple snow candy, Canadian hazelnut tuile taco with white chocolate mousse, chocolate truffles skewered with chocolate liqueur pipette

Nightly victory ceremonies menu:

Packaged meals with snacks, appetizers, entrees and desserts, priced at $2,310 (Gold Medal), $1,730 (Silver Medal) and $1,154 (Bronze Medal)

Source: Centerplate

Northeast Advertising Manager

SportsBusiness Journal

212-500-0702

Centerplate Venue featured in the Best and the Rest in the CT Post

Released: 02/24/2010

Best and the rest of the past week

Published: 04:41 p.m., Thursday, February 18, 2010

Thumbs up to the management of the Arena at Harbor Yard on hitting a milestone of 1,000 performances since the facility opened in 2001. From monster trucks to the Boston Pops, from the circus to Cher to The Boss, from hockey to home shows, the Arena has managed to stay afloat and to bring a wide variety of attractions to the venue. The 1,000th event was a college basketball game between Fairfield and Rider universities. More importantly, about 3.6 million people have attended the events. For at least some of them, it was their first trip to Bridgeport. While the Arena and the adjacent Ballpark at Harbor Yard by themselves will not turn the city around, they have brought otherwise hesitant suburbanites into the city and have helped change the city's reputation in some quarters.

Groundbreaking for New Ice Rink

Released: 02/19/2010

A ground-breaking ceremony for the new ice rink, scheduled for completion in early 2011, will be held outside the Columbus Civic Center this Monday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. The event is open to the public, and fans are encouraged to attend.

Our weekly coach's show with head coach Jerome 'Boom Boom' Bechard will be held in the hospitality suites of the Civic Center following the ceremony. Dinner will be available through Centerplate, formerly known as Boston Culinary Group. The coach's show will resume at AJ's Sports Bar and Grill the following Monday, March 1.

Congratulations U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding Medalists

Released: 02/16/2010

shannon bahrke.jpg bode miller.jpg us logo.jpg

Centerplate would like to congratulate its partners who received medals on the U.S. Ski Team and W.S. Snowboarding. So far the team has accumulated 6 medals total in 4 events. Of those four medals that includes 2 golds, 1 silver and 3 bronze. Listed below are the medal winners.