How T-Mobile Park became a culinary hotspot

Mariners Opening Day: A culinary home run at T-Mobile Park

Get ready for Mariners Opening Day with a taste of the extraordinary culinary offerings at T-Mobile Park. From Japanese curry to toasted grasshoppers, discover how this ballpark has become a top food destination, featuring local favorites and international delights.

SEATTLE - T-Mobile Park in Seattle is gearing up for the upcoming baseball season with a fresh batch of new food offerings, further cementing its reputation as a culinary destination.

The backstory:

Malcom Rogel, the Vice President of Mariners Fan Experience, has played a key role in the transformation of the ballpark's food scene. Rogel, who has been with the ball club for 27 years, since the Kingdome days. He explained the main concourse at T-Mobile Park was intentionally engineered as an open space so that hungry fans could order food and still catch a glimpse of action out on the diamond.

"It was designed to have people constantly doing some loops," said Rogel. "It's been in our DNA from the start. But it's really started to pick up in the last 8-10 years."

What started as a mere handful of vendors offering chicken strips, pizza and burgers has evolved over the decades to include international flavors, with dishes representing a variety of cultures. One of the most notable changes came in 2017 when T-Mobile Park introduced toasted grasshoppers a bold move that quickly became a fan favorite.

"They're very salty; they have a salt and lime taste to them," said Rogel. "It's just hilarious."

But the innovations haven't stopped there. This season's new offerings include spicy blue corndogs, a Trident-shaped cup, and even ice cream nachos. Rogel says the team isn't afraid to push the envelope when it comes to new food ideas.

"We have no ego at all," said Rogel. "We’ll copy anyone as long as it’s awesome, good, and different."

Local food has also played a significant role in T-Mobile Park's culinary evolution. One standout example is Moto Pizza, a popular spot born out of a West Seattle basement. Rogel recalls a Mariners engineer raving about the pizza, which eventually made its way to the ballpark.

This season, the ballpark has also brought in a culinary heavyweight. World-renowned chef, J. Kenji López-Alt is introducing teriyaki to the stadium for the first time.

"He's got 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube," said Rogel. "These different chefs come to us and they'll be like, ‘Hey, what’s something we should do?’"

The Source: Information in this story is from the Seattle Mariners and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.