New York Times best-selling author and Italian restaurateur Giada De Laurentiis has partnered with Oak View Group (OVG) to bring her distinctive culinary style to sports venues across the nation. Along with De Laurentiis, Shaquille O’Neil and Trisha Yearwood have also joined the group to help elevate arena menus.
These three lead the Hospitality Advisory Council where they will create menus bringing premium fare as well as sourcing ingredients from local markets. Their plan also includes community outreach by helping minority groups as well as women-run businesses.
O’Neil’s “Shaq’s Big Chicken Sandwiches” have already made appearances in many of the arenas that OVG is working with and they plan to expand. Giada De Laurentiis is bringing her new menu items to arenas such as Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert and UBS Arena in Long Island, New York.
"Food at live events – whether it be a sporting event, a concert, or a festival– should be fast, but speed shouldn't be at the expense of taste and creativity," Giada said when asked about her signature food making its way to arena menus.
"We've proven that with Pronto by Giada at live events venues across the nation. And we're going to show the industry our collective vision to transform arena food into something guests look forward to as part of their live event experience,” De Laurentiis continued.
OVG's plan is to be a direct conduit between the fans' opinions and desires. They want to help reach a wider demographic than the basic food typically sold in arenas. With stars like Giada De Laurentiis, they hope to bring more people out to events and connect those of different cultures with the arena.
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.