While it's a feat in and of itself to have a pepper garden that grows some of the hottest peppers in the world, what truly makes this plot unique is its location. This organic pepper garden is not just situated in the San Diego Padres' home turf, it has a prime spot in the bullpen of the Petco Park. Last season, Luke Yoder, Petco Park’s director of field operations experimented with 18 pepper varieties from 15 countries that are now used in ballpark dishes.
While peppers are best suited for growing in warm summer weather, at other times of the year, Yoder has experimented with everything from avocados to blueberries, carrots and pomegranates. However unconventional, this inventive use of space yields plenty of crowd-pleasing additions to salsas, burgers, tacos and other stadium food snacks year-round.
Bullpen Produce Gardens
The San Diego Padres' Pepper Garden Grows Ingredients for Ballpark Dishes
Trend Themes
1. Stadium Garden - Developing and expanding gardens in public sports facilities can offer new and locally organic ingredients for culinary and food services.
2. Urban Farming - Encouraging gardening and farmland use in urban areas can potentially aid in the feasibility of producing and sourcing local, seasonal, and fresh produce.
3. Organic Innovation - Experimenting with unconventional locations for organic gardens and crops can present new and creative opportunities for agriculture and farming industries.
Industry Implications
1. Sports and Entertainment - Public sports facilities can explore urban farming and organic innovation opportunities to ideate unique food experiences for fans and improve access to locally-sourced produce.
2. Agriculture - Developing gardens and farmland use in unconventional locations can lead to new venues for planting and harvesting crops such as fruits, vegetables, and spices.
3. Hospitality - Exploring new ways to source locally-grown and organic produce can potentially disrupt the traditional model of food sourcing and utilization for the culinary and hospitality industry.