Maria Menounos opens Maria’s Greek Kitchen at Fenway Park

The Boston native, Maria Menounos is combining her love of sports with her love of Greek food. Maria’s Greek Kitchen at Fenway Park brings authentic Greek recipes to the iconic ballpark.

Maria Menounos is entertainment powerhouse. Television personality, author and entrepreneur, Menounos is expanding into the food world. Opening on September 4, Maria’s Greek Kitchen will be Fenway Park’s new pop-up concession. This Greek inspired pop-up concession will feature “Menounos’ authentic Greek family recipes.”

Menounoshas strong ties to Massachusetts and Fenway Park. Growing up close to the iconic ballpark and even selling sausages near the park, this collaboration brings together Menounos’ love of sports and cooking. This concession concept will feature a variety of Greek dishes that are good option for ballpark food. The pop-up will feature “gyros, lettuce wraps, hummus plates and kabobs.”

Red Sox fan, Emmy winning host and best-selling author, Maria Menounos, works with Aramark Senior Executive Chef, Ron Abell, behind her new stand at Fenway Park, “Maria’s Greek Kitchen”, which features her family’’s recipes and organic ingredients. (PRNewsfoto/Aramark)

One of the key concepts to this pop-up concession is the portability factor. All of the food choices are “items that are easy to tote and consume.” No one wants to have their food fall to the ground when they are cheering that game changing home run. Nor, do fans want to have difficulty bringing their food back to their seat. These options are what fans want.

Additionally, the food choices are healthier options. Menounos believes in an active and fit lifestyle. These menu choices reflect a healthy lifestyle. Just because fans are at a ball game doesn’t mean that their smart food choices have to be neglected.

The Maria’s Green Kitchen at Fenway Park is another example of Aramark expanding food options at sports venues. Recently, Aramark announced all day brunch menus at NFL Stadiums for this upcoming season. Aramark is responding to food trends. A plain hot dog or slice of pizza isn’t enough for the food savvy consumer. Today, guests want bolder flavors, unique combinations and healthier options.

Fenway Park isn’t the only baseball park using the pop-up concession stands to bring in more fans. Wrigley Field has had several celebrity chefs create limited-time concession stands. Stephanie Izard, Graham Elliot and Rick Bayless have added their culinary creations to the Wrigley Field pop-up concessions.

Since these pop-up concessions and food trend menu items are popular with guests, these food choices will continue to appear at stadiums. As long as prices stay reasonable and food quality remains high, guests will seek these new and exciting food choices. While the plain hot dog and pizza won’t disappear completely, these classic foods will have to share space with other more exciting fare.

Next: Must have tailgating beverages

Next time you visit Fenway Park, check out Maria’s Greek Kitchen by Maria Menounos. After a bite of these authentic Greek recipes, you may re-think ballpark food.