When it comes to food at Citi Field, there is definitely more than “peanuts and Cracker Jacks.” And, it’s ARAMARK’s Head Chef Flavien Trichery who oversees it all.
Trichery, who has been with the Mets for four years, is from France and is classically trained in French cuisine. His original intention was to pursue an international cooking career.
“I planned to use my cooking to work all over the world to learn different techniques,” he said.
However, when he was 20, Trichery left France and went to California under a training visa, and fell in love with the United States. He worked for top restaurants and a private club in Manhattan.
“When it was offered to me to take a stadium, I was like ‘why not?’ It’s something totally different,” Trichery said.
Trichery is now responsible for food ranging from concessions in the stands to premium food in the restaurants and suites. He also oversees staffing and the catering aspect of private events that take place at Citi Field.
“Prior to [a] game, it’s all about prepping for success,” Trichery said.
He makes sure all the needed food is in house, does asset training with the staff, sees to it that everything is in place and “makes sure all chefs and employees have the right tools to be successful.”
Trichery said that the second priority is to make sure he has the right amount of cooks. Between concession and premium, there are approximately 200 in-house cooks.
After that, Trichery goes stand-by-stand and kitchen-by-kitchen to check other elements, such as the exhibition of food and the speed of service.
Having “no clue” about baseball before coming to the Mets, Trichery said that part of the challenge was learning about the game, since the amount of food produced depends on the inning.
“I’m a diehard Mets fan now,” said Trichery, who wears a chef jacket with a Mets patch and inaugural season patch on the sleeve.
The food at Citi Field includes many items people might not think about at a baseball game. It ranges from custom ground hamburgers to caviar stations and grilled lobster.
“This is the reason why I picked a stadium – because I wanted to learn a new concept of food but also I wanted to bring a new concept to a stadium,” Trichery said.
Trichery, who was involved in design and menu selection aspects of Citi Field, said that they began putting the menu together two years before the new stadium even opened.
In addition, Trichery said that the stadium has a catering menu that can easily compete with the “big city.”
“We have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “I think we have created an extreme, beautiful catering menu.”
During games, Trichery said he likes to walk in between the stands to see the faces of people as they take their first bite. He said that first bite would let him know if they enjoy the food or not.
“Every day is a different experience,” Trichery said. “I enjoy every moment of it.”
