Travel Channel Shines the Spotlight on Iconic Comfort Foods at At&T Park
The Bon Appétit team at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, is accustomed to working with visiting film crews, but rarely do they have the opportunity to step in front of the camera themselves. When the MLB network reached out offering an opportunity to be one of three baseball stadiums featured on the Travel Channel’s show Food Paradise (along with Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX, and Wrigley Field in Chicago), the Bon Appétiters jumped at the chance to show off the many dishes beloved by Giants fans.
Fresh Dungeness crab, tomatoes, and sourdough bread are the key ingredients in the Crazy Crab sandwich
The show focuses on must-eat menu items across the country, and each episode is organized around a specific theme. Because AT&T Park was being featured in an episode about iconic comfort foods, the team decided to showcase two of the park’s most emblematic bites: the Gilroy garlic fries and the Crazy Crab sandwich, made with fresh Dungeness crab. On game days, the team can sell as many as 2,500 crab sandwiches and 6,000 orders of garlic fries.
As Bon Appétit Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Bill Greathouse explained, “Baseball is the ultimate comfort, it’s our national pastime. For Giants fans, the smell of Gilroy garlic fries is synonymous with a day at the ballpark. And the Dungeness crab for the crab sandwich is caught locally — you can’t get more San Francisco than that!”
On the day of the shoot, the production crew arrived early and headed straight to the Centerfield Wharf in Scoreboard Plaza to set up equipment and lighting in the Crazy Crab kitchen. The Bon Appétit team asked local vendor Boudin Bakery to prepare some additional props to help set the scene, including special sourdough loaves baked in the shape of Dungeness crabs. Everyone pitched in with set decorating, and some Bon Appétiters even brought Giants memorabilia from their personal collections: Bill lent his Crazy Crab bobblehead, while Director of Catering Brian Carriveau offered his baseball glove.
With the set dressed, the cameras started rolling. Executive Chef of Concessions Toussaint Potter — Chef T, as he’s known by all — was the on-camera talent, showing off each ingredient before walking through the step-by-step cooking processes for both the garlic fries and the Crazy Crab sandwich. From hand-chopping parsley to piling fresh crab on perfectly toasted sourdough loaves, Chef T shared the secrets behind these iconic ballpark dishes.
Meanwhile, Bill took the producers on a tour of the ballpark before getting mic’d up for his own on-camera interview. He shared how the Gilroy garlic fries originated at Candlestick Park (the former home of the Giants) as a savory snack to pair with craft beer, and that AT&T Park goes through almost 300 tons of potatoes in one season!
As fans started to arrive for the evening’s baseball game, the production team called it a wrap and the Bon Appétiters turned their attention to doing what they do best: feeding hungry fans.
Watch the AT&T Park team on Food Paradise Season 10 Episode 12 “Cranked Up Comfort.”
Executive Chef of Concessions Toussaint Potter on set in the Crazy Crab kitchen