It’s no coincidence the iconic song ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ mentions ballpark food as much as it references the actual game.
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with baseball – it’s a great game. But ballpark food is the stuff of legend, and the hot dogs, peanuts, and other snacks are enough to bring fans back time and time again.
In Saanich, the best ballpark food is unquestionably found at Chef Dave’s Dugout. It’s located at Ambassador Park, and, with the end of the baseball season, it will soon be closing for the year.
But there’s a bit of good news for fans of Chef Dave’s food.
The park will host the Little League Baseball Provincial Tournament between July 13 and 21 and the concession will be open.
Now, by this time you may well be asking why this concession deserves particular mention.
It starts with Chef Dave Roger, whose background and level of training are not what one ordinarily expects to find at a ballpark snack bar.
Roger is a formally trained chef whose background includes working as the executive chef at the Marriott hotel in Victoria, and who is currently occupied in teaching culinary arts at the Songhees First Nation. He’s also been involved in that organization starting their own catering business, Songhees Events and Catering. Oh, and it's worth mention that he’s helped them with their own food truck, Songhees Seafood and Steam, which is generally parked on Admirals Road.
So, what is he doing in a ballpark concession?
Roger’s involvement at the ballpark began while coaching his two sons when he noticed that the food at the ballpark was…um… lacking.
“I just wanted to make it more efficient. Sometimes it would be open and sometimes it was closed. And the food…well…”
He drew upon his expertise and created a baseball-themed menu that featured a first base burger, second base burger, a third base burger, a grand slam burger, and, well, you get the picture.
There were also some very non-ballpark offerings like a wild coho salmon filet burger, maple marinated, with candied red onion marmalade, and garlic parmesan fries with chipotle mayo drizzled over the top.
Roger’s wife, Lauren, works the counter at the Dugout and admits that when Roger first announced that he taking on the concession, she thought he might be taking on too much.
“At the time he was executive chef at the Marriot, and I said, how are you going to manage this, but he just said, that he was going to make it happen,” Lauren said.
Ten years later, the couple is still at it, in addition to their full-time jobs.
“It’s amazing the energy you get. For three months a year, we stop everything and spend all our spare time there. Our social life is put on hold and we’re there, but it’s great,” she said. It’s been a joy for both of us and we actually miss it when we have to close at the end of the baseball season.”
Not surprisingly, Roger and his wife have noticed that not everyone coming to their concession is at the park for the baseball.
“We have people coming in who have heard about the food and come just to try out our menu. And they tend to come back,” said Roger.
Of course, some of those people may hang around and watch some baseball, and that’s a good thing too.
Lauren works the counter at Chef Dave’s Dugout and has become a neighbourhood icon in her own right.
“The children got to know me because I’d give them candy as a treat, and now I do the same for the pups that come to the park with their owners,” Lauren said. “I’m the concession lady and he’s the chef and it’s really been a joy for both of us.”
The downside of the couple’s popularity is that the concession gets so busy that Roger doesn’t get to watch much baseball these days.
“I have a window that looks out right behind home plate, but we generally have a lineup for food so I can’t really watch much,” Roger said.
“But sometimes, I still take a few minutes to get a look. I love the game, after all.”
