First off, a mea culpa that I’m a week late telling y’all about this year’s guest chef pop-ups at The Band Box at the Nashville Sounds’ stadium at First Horizon Park. Please cut me a little slack since it’s the week of the NFL Draft, and the Titans have been more at the forefront of my mind than our AAA baseball team. However, that does mean that you have missed out on the chance to experience a Korean BBQ cheesesteak sandwich courtesy of the OG chef of these annual pop-ups, Andy Little of Josephine. Again, sorry about that.
The good news is that you still have almost a dozen opportunities to visit The Band Box at the ballpark on Thursdays during homestands to dine on special dishes presented by some really remarkable chefs. There's no extra price on top of your ticket to take part; just walk up to the window and order your special treat.
To try to make up for my oversight, here’s a list of who is cooking when, plus a suggestion for something that each of them could cook for you.
April 27: Teresa Mason, Mas Tacos Por Favor
A taco is too easy of a choice, and everybody loves the chicken tortilla soup. I’m an outlier in that I prefer Teresa’s pozole verde, and I think a cup of that would be delightful as an outfield snack.
May 11: Patrick Martin, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Time for a curveball here (heh). Why not a taco from Martin’s? Specifically Pat’s delightfully crunchy fried catfish taco with the pitmaster-suggested addition of sliced jalapeños. Trust me on this one.
May 25: Chepe Laredo, Maiz de la Vida
I’m totally down with tacos twice in two weeks as long as Laredo brings the outrageous double cheeseburger version I sampled last weekend at the Giving Kitchen tasting event.
June 15: Bryan Lee Weaver, Redheaded Stranger
I implore chef Weaver to bring some version of his craveable cruchwrap! The standard version has beef chili, pico de gallo, whipped feta, refried beans and cheddar cheese wrapped in an origami-folded flour tortilla, so it's basically a perfectly portable version of the menu’s greatest hits. If he decided to change out the fillings, though, I wouldn’t be mad about that.
June 22: Amy Watson and Clinton Spruill, Josephine’s Jams
Any chance this amalgam of Southern BBQ and Laotian food pop-up gets the chance to feed Nashville, I’m in for the ride! How about a double starch item of a grilled Lao sausage on a bun with sticky rice?
July 6: Levi Raines, The Dutch
It’s probably too much to ask for a raw bar outdoors in July, and it would be a waste of the chef’s talent to just have him shucking oysters all night. But The Dutch does serve lil’ oyster sandwiches with an okra remoulade on a mini brioche bun during happy hour, so I think that could be a hit!
July 20: Chase Moss, East Side Banh Mi
I’m not familiar with Moss, but I’ve never had a bad meal associated with ESBM. I’d be pleased to see a miniature version of their Poor Boy banh mi on the menu. You can’t complain about a smoked bologna sammich at the ball game.
Aug. 3: Jessica Lavender, Deba’s
One cool thing about this series of pop-ups is the chance to discover a new culinary find like Deba’s. I’ve never had her food, but perusing her Insta feed uncovered some sticky turkey wings that have me intrigued.
Aug. 17: Tony Galzin, Nicky’s Coal Fired
I know Tony charges $17 for an order of Mama G’s meatballs on his regular dinner menu, but if he wanted to make a meatball hoagie out of them, he could just turn me upside down and shake me until enough money fell out of my pockets to pay for that sandwich!
Sept. 10: Josh Habiger, Bastion
Nachos, duh!
Sept. 21: Brian Baxter, The Catbird Seat
Let’s get a little funky and weird for the end of the season, Baxter. Bring back the dry-aged Bear Creek Farm pork shoulder glazed in fermented durian and black sesame sauce.
