Much like the 2019 Reds team, the cuisine at Great American Ball Park this season is all about fun and excitement.

Prior to Opening Day, local media was invited to the home of the Reds to sample the ballpark's newest offerings. Executive chef Gary Davis and his staff were positioned in the Handlebar at food-sample stations full of vibrant colors and unique flavors.

The 2018 season was Davis' first leading Delaware North, and having assumed his role just before Opening Day, there wasn’t much time to ease into the transition. But with a full year under his belt and more time to prepare, Davis is eager to show Reds Country what kind of food to expect on Joe Nuxhall Way this season.

"Last year, I did a lot of learning about the ballpark and how we get from here to there with food," Davis said. "So I wanted to come up with three or four key ingredients, because I have to trust other people to make these. If we take these ingredients, these three things we know are good, we know we can make a consistent product."

A Cincinnati native, Davis is no stranger to what the city is all about when it comes to dining. Incorporating some of Cincinnati’s culture with today's most popular food trends was one of the Purcell Marian Catholic High School alum's primary objectives.

"We had to come up with something that is approachable to the customer and fun," Davis said. "I wanted to come up with fun ingredients that people will be happy about. We took the pork schnitzel sandwich of German heritage and dipped it in Nashville hot sauce, and now we have the Cincinnati hot [pictured at top of story]. You get the popular Nashville hot with the German background like so many in Cincinnati have, so I think they'll like it.

"And you can't leave pork out. We are a big pork town. With Montgomery Inn, we do a lot of pulled pork brisket. Those things are things that people love; it's comfort food. Yes, it's ballpark food, but we have to keep the comfort food in the back of our brain."

As good as the food is, don't think you have to seek out a certain section of the ballpark or buy an expensive ticket just to taste it for yourself. While some dishes can only be found in certain ticketed locations like the Lexus Diamond Club, the Handlebar or Scouts Alley, Davis and his crew supply food to many of the standard concession stands as well.

"I think this season, we are going to have a lot of fun and come up with awesome features for different homestands," Davis said. "I think there's opportunity to do some really cool food here and have a great year, then continue on to next year with even more exciting things."

Here are some featured items you can find at the ballpark this season.

Hot dogs/sausages

• "Elote style" Big Red Smokey (pictured above): charred corn, cilantro, lime crema and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

• Mac and cheese dog: bacon-wrapped hot dog with sweet BBQ sauce, pickled jalapenos and crushed Grippos

• Wicked Jalapeno Queen City sausage: queso, pico de gallo and crispy tortilla chips

Burgers

• Big Red Machine burger: beef patty, Big Red Smokey, sauerkraut and beer cheese on a Servatii pretzel bun with crushed Grippos

• Italian turkey burger: fried mozzarella, tomato sauce, balsamic grilled onions and arugula

• Reds hot burger (pictured above): Swiss cheese, A1 sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickled jalapenos and onions on a toasted brioche bun

Sandwiches

• Cincinnati hot chicken: Cincinnati hot chicken tenders on Texas toast with sliced pickles and a side of cole slaw

• Cincinnati hot pork sandwich: fried pork tenderloin dipped in hot sauce with jalapeno cole slaw on a brioche bun

• Pork schnitzel sandwich: fried pork tenderloin with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo and mustard on a brioche bun