Jeff Dodge
By: Tina Shively
Updated: August 3, 2010
Hot dogs and french fries aren't the only options for your kids to eat at Frontier Field, thanks to Jeff Dodge. In addition to being a Healthy Hero, he's also the general manager of food and beverage for the Rochester Red Wings.
"I thought trying to get a healthy meal with the Rochester Red Wings would be a unique challenge because we sell so many hot dogs, so many orders of ice cream and Dippin' Dots and things like that," said Dodge.
He was inspired to change the menu at his own job after he formed a committee to help the Greater Rochester Health Foundation introduce the Healthy Hero concept into area restaurants. He also helped develop the criteria a restaurant needs to meet in order to qualify for the Healthy Hero stamp of approval, and made sure the stadium met those goals as well.
"Basically, it's something that's grilled. On the drink, it should be water or skim milk, and then fresh fruit or vegetable served with the meal," said Dodge.
This isn't the first time Dodge has tried to make Frontier Field a healthy place to eat, but he hopes this time it will stick, thanks to the 5-2-1-0 campaign and a healthy variation on a ball park favorite.
"I have a Healthy Hero hot dog meal. Zwiegle's is able to produce the Z-Lite hot dog that has less than half the fat and less than half the sodium in it," said Dodge. "I've met their criteria for grilled food, and now I can serve a hot dog at the park and that to me is the perfect solution to this."
