Bronx Bites: Yanks unveil stacked new food options for home games

NEW YORK -- When fans pour into Yankee Stadium for the team’s home opener on Friday afternoon against the Marlins, they carry hope that this will be the year the franchise wins its 28th World Series title. But in the concourses, a culinary competition is heating up where they are the undisputed winners.

"This is the year for the empanada," said Ariel Barbouth, founder of Nuchas Empanadas, at Yankee Stadium’s annual concessions preview on Tuesday morning. “We’re here to beat chicken fingers. We’re fighting burgers. We’re fighting tacos. We’re fighting. It’s not an easy fight. It’s uphill.”

Nuchas is introducing the “Italian Sausage Empanada,” complete with pork sausage, marinara sauce and fresh basil, for its locations at sections 107 and 232. It’s one item among an expansive list of mouth-watering offerings at the stadium from both new and returning partners, providing fans with a diverse selection of international cuisine and fresh takes on ballpark classics.

“Just in the past five years, it’s evolved so much,” said Robert Flowers, the executive chef for Legends at Yankee Stadium. “Now we’re serving artisan pasta, we’re serving unbelievable sandwiches. We’re serving great, authentic food from different countries, whether it’s the Nuchas Empanadas or the pizza that we have from Colony Grill pizza.”

Among the most captivating items is the new "Mini Dessert ‘Chicken’ Bucket,” which is already generating plenty of intrigue on social media. It’s a bucket filled with drumstick-shaped treats that look like breaded chicken but are actually white chocolate coatings covered with candied corn flakes, filled with sweet vanilla ice cream, and housing a crunchy chocolate cookie “bone” at their core. The bucket will be available at sections 125 and 318.

The dessert inventions don’t stop there. “Apple Pie Dumplings” are one of four new offerings from Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (located at sections 108, 213 and 321), while “Apple Pie Nachos” -- a pastry paradise including waffle chips, apple pie compote, soft serve ice cream and caramel sauce -- will be available from Mister Softee.

Yankee Stadium will also feature sweets from two new concessions partners, with brownies and blondies from Magnolia Bakery and crispy rice treats from Treathouse being offered throughout the stadium.

For Chris Russell, co-founder of Treathouse, along with his wife, Jennifer, and two sons, the partnership is especially meaningful given the family’s New York roots and multi-generational, die-hard Yankees fandom.

“When I think about it, I just get a little bit teary,” Russell said. “It’s been such a passion of ours for so long making these, and to have an affiliation with the Yankees is just amazing.

“Eating a baseball rice crispy treat with the Yankee logo on it in Yankee Stadium? I mean, what could be sweeter?”

On the savory side, Christian Petroni’s Parm To Table is back with a smattering of new selections at section 105, from “Mozzarella en Carrozza” to an affogato in partnership with Mister Softee. The “Petroni Tiramisu” is also returning after making its debut last season.

“I’m so grateful that the Yankees are always so good when I say, ‘Hey, what about this crazy idea? Why don’t we put tiramisu in a helmet? Why don’t we do baked pastas? Why don’t we do affogato?’ Things that you would never normally see at the stadium,” Petroni said. “The boys here at Yankee Stadium in the culinary team don’t even blink. They’re like, ‘Yes, Chef. Let’s go.’”

For meat lovers and fans of french fries, longtime partner Lobel’s is introducing new “Pastrami Fries” at section 132, while Fuku is introducing “Loaded Fries” with fried chicken tenders doused in sweet and spicy sauce at sections 107, 205 and 331. Marcus Samuelsson’s Streetbird at section 112 is introducing the “Bird Dog 2.0” and a “Sticky Que Chicken Sandwich.” And King’s Hawaiian at section 115 is introducing a “Chicken Parm Sando,” as well as the standout “Angry Lobster Roll” based on a traditional New England recipe, topped with togarashi for a bit of spice.

After Legends Global introduced the “99 Burger” three years ago, Aaron Judge has won two MVP Awards. So it’s fitting that their new addition is called the “MVP Burger,” with two 4 oz. American wagyu beef patties, American cheese, caramelized onions, onion rings, tomato-bacon jam, secret sauce and dill pickles served on a brioche bun at section 227.

Legends is also introducing a quartet of new drinks served in souvenir cups, with themed names such as “The Heater” and “The Wind-Up.”

As for whether the team can keep the ice cream drumsticks beating and affogatos flowing through October, Petroni was optimistic.

“We’re taking it all this year,” he said. “They’re gonna deliver because they know that we need it. … The world needs a Yankees World Series.”