BY DAN GLICKMAN
In the aptly-named Seinfeld episode “The Calzone”, the show’s parodic version of George Steinbrenner becomes obsessed with calzones. Yet despite the folded-up pizza’s baseball bonafides, it’s been a few years since they were on sale at Rochester Red Wings games.
That will change in 2026, as the now-ESL Ballpark will be selling Calzones at Mama Mittsy’s every Wednesday.
“Calzones were a huge hit for a long time,” says Red Wings General Manager Dan Mason. “We haven’t done them in quite a few years, so we’re really excited about bringing them back this year.”
They won’t be the only new items at Red Wings game this season: calzones will be joined by the “BBQ Sundae” and the “1/2 Chicken Dinner”, both at Spikes’ BBQ.
The BBQ Sundae is essentially a barbecue meal in a cup:
“Mac and cheese, pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, little bit of barbecue sauce, all topped with a cornbread skewer,” says Keith Hillock, the team’s Executive Chef, of the item. It’s similar to the “Trash Can”, which puts one of Rochester’s signature garbage plates all in one cup.
The “1/2 Chicken Dinner”, meanwhile, is a meal that – as the name suggests – is half of a smoked chicken along with a choice of beans or chili.
As far as the calzones are concerned, it’ll rotate. While Country Sweet, Philly Cheesesteak, and Pulled Pork calzones were all offered to the press, they won’t necessarily be the same each week. What flavors will be on sale will depend on other factors, like what teams the Red Wings will be playing. A game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs might have Philly Cheesesteak available as a nod to their Philadelphia Phillies affiliation, for example or perhaps Pulled Pork in reference to their name.
It’s all part of a continued effort to make ESL Ballpark’s food options more than what most people expect.
“What we’re trying to do is bring in different ideas, things you wouldn’t expect at a ballpark while still hanging on to the tradition of hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, [and] hamburgers at the ballpark,” says Hillock, now in his fifth year with the team.
The Wings’ push to do so is an acknowledgment that, for many, the game is secondary for a family out at ESL Ballpark.
They’ll have a chance to eat some of the ballpark’s new foods on Tuesday, March 31, when the Red Wings hold their home opener against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 4:05 p.m.
“Some fans won’t remember what the score was, or who the game-winning pitcher is,” says Mason. “But everyone remembers what they had to eat.”
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