Dine & Cook | Alternative food journalism

Los Angeles -- Chef Tyler Florence was a special guest last Friday at Dodger Stadium, the chef was invited to throw the first pitch at the Dodger's game against the Angels.

Chef Florence was the guest of honor for "Grapes from California Day" at the stadium.  The event is part of an initiative by the California Table Grape Commission to raise awareness about California grapes.  Similar events will be held at ballparks across North America including: Los Angeles Dodgers' Dodger Stadium, Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards, San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park, St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium and Toronto Blue Jays' Rogers Centre.

On top of throwing the first pitch, Chef Florence also created different twists on traditional ballpark food, including ballpark dogs with tangy grape relish and super pretzels with California grape cream cheese.

Dine & Cook caught up with the busy chef this week to get his post-throw reaction.  He responded to us via email.

DC: How did it feel up there?
TF: It was such a rush standing down on the mound. I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

DC: Did you do any training? Stretching? Practice throws in the bullpen? Carb-load with hotdogs?
TF: The pressure was definitely on since I was coming out of retirement from my little league days. I gave my arms a good stretch before throwing the pitch.

DC: Ballpark food used to mean hot dogs and beer, but a lot of parks are going upscale. Do you see healthier food gaining a stronger presence
at the game?
TF: I think the demand is there to really up the game when it comes to food in the ballpark. People definitely have their favorites, but even making
tweaks on some of those traditional ballpark foods, such as adding fresh California grapes, can make people feel good about what they're eating
at the game.

DC: Anything you're going to do differently next time?
TF: I'll be sure to do some practice before heading out on the mound last time - my arm was feeling a bit rusty!