Joliet Slammers unveil new ballpark food, including chicken wing bar, ahead of opening day

Joliet — The Joliet Slammers are looking to hit it out of the park with their food offerings this year, adding some new desserts, burgers and innovative side items.

There’s also a unique wing bar.

The team showcased its enhanced food and beverage menu that will be offered at its downtown Joliet stadium at a preview event for season ticket holders and sponsors Thursday.

The team’s season officially kicks off against the Schaumburg Boomers at home Friday, May 9, with fireworks to cap off the evening.

New on the menu

Several new additions will be found on this year’s concessions menu.

Noelli’s Cheesecake in Cup, a new vendor this year, will have a booth in the stands behind home plate.

Noelli’s specializes in cheesecake-based dishes featuring a whipped cheesecake, including brownie cheesecake “sundaes” with the cheesecake in place of ice cream in strawberry and turtle varieties, and “cheesecake nachos” with similar toppings as well as homemade cinnamon sugar chips.

“I’ve been making my cheesecake for 30 years and have a store in the Fox Valley mall,” owner Noel Ferrara said. “We love to be able to bring what we do out to everyone we can. We love the feel of outdoor events, and we are so excited for this season.”

Some other new offerings include duck and bacon wantons; mac and cheese bites; bone-in and boneless chicken wings with several dipping sauces such as parmesan garlic, Korean barbecue and Nashville hot sauce; and a new burger.

“We are the first stadium to offer a wing bar,” said Slammers food and beverage director Joel Sigel, who coordinated the new menu. “You can order your type of chicken – bone-in wings, boneless wings or popcorn chicken – then pick your sauce, and they will give it to you in a cup so you can shake it up over the chicken or use it on the side.”

“I try to take food that excites people and bring it to baseball. There’s something for everybody.”

—  Joel Sigel, Joliet Slammers food and beverage director

Sigel, who is in his third season with the Slammers, said he likes mixing things up and trying to innovate the stadium’s menu.

“I like to try things that are unexpected,” he said. “I try to take food that excites people and bring it to baseball. There’s something for everybody. No matter what your pallet is, you can have a good time and enjoy the food at an affordable price.”

Sigel noted that the duck and bacon wantons have been the most popular item with test audiences so far, despite being an unconventional choice for a stadium.

“Those are my new favorite, and I hope the rest of the fans like them as much as I do,” he said.

Other returning favorites include more conventional picks such as burgers and brats – this year with new recipes – as well as hot dogs, pickle backs, the “foul ball” pretzel balls filled with pimento cheese and hot honey, and jumbo ball helmets filled with loaded nachos.

Werk Force Brewery in Plainfield also is returning with its official Slammers beer, and this year marks the return of Twisted Tea as a concession offering after a multiseason absence.

Despite continued inflation, Sigel noted that he has tried to keep menu prices affordable and has not raised the cost of alcoholic beverages.

Other vendors returning to the park for 2025 are local businesses Sunshine Mexican grill, Wilers Barbeque, Crumbl Cookie and the Creamery.

Theme nights and promotions

Throughout the season, fans also will be able to enjoy many special theme nights featuring unique activities and coordinated decorations as well as entertainment based on movies and music.

Some of the highlights for the upcoming season will include Pickleball Night on May 24, Star Wars Night on June 7, Ghostbusters Night on June 26, and Princess and Superhero Night on July 19. Coordinated and themed outfits are encouraged for music and movie nights.

The stadium also will host several nights honoring different cultural touch points, including Women in Sports Day on June 8, Pride at the Ballpark night on June 18, and Honoring the Negro Leagues night on June 24.

“I have been excited for this season since Sept. 2 (when the 2024 season ended),” Slammers owner and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Night Train Veeck said. “I’m really excited about all of the improvements to the park and the new concessions. Our crew has been hard at work, and I’m excited to open the gates and let people see it all.”

Veeck said he has “very high hopes for the team” going into the new season, which he said is going to “build off the core we had last season on the field.”

He also teased that the food being sampled at the event was not a complete look at the new menu.

“Joel has done a great job putting together our new items for this year,” Veeck said. “We’re really trying to up our food game, and there are still some surprises for people to discover when they get to the park.”