Let’s play ball! With the St. Paul Saints season home opener on Thursday, we checked in with James Cross, the new executive chef for Levy Restaurants/Pro Sports at CHS Field in St. Paul, who just introduced a new lineup of a dozen foods (brat pops, smoked pork shoulder poutine, chicken and waffles, etc.) while keeping old favorites.

What’s your first food memory? When I was 9 or 10, my grandmother used to work and run the food service at the University of Minnesota. She would bring me into work on the weekends, and I got to help out peeling the potatoes and carrots, and making some desserts.

What did you want to be when you grew up? The military was out of the question for me only because I had bad vision. I was always interested in food because I took a lot of food classes in high school and enjoyed cooking, so I decided to go to culinary school.

What was your first job in food? I bypassed the dishes, even though I get stuck doing them now. I started out as pantry — salads, sandwiches, that type of stuff — at the Radisson South in Bloomington.

How did you wind up in the restaurant business for good? I’ve always been interested in it. I studied here, then went out to Portland and finished my culinary degree at Western Culinary Institute, then came back to Minnesota. I’ve worked at several restaurants in the Twin Cities and started here last September.

What’s your favorite dish on your menu? My favorite is either the chicken and waffles or the pork belly brat pops. The brat pops because, while the shape is round and solid, it still tastes like a brat. And you get this really nice Honeycrisp apple and bacon slaw to go with it. The flavors go together really well.

What’s the last thing you cooked at home? I made a stuffed salmon over the weekend.

If you had to eat or drink only five things for the rest of your life, what would they be? Bacon — pork is probably my favorite of all the proteins. Chicken. All types of potatoes. Salad. And for a beverage, it would probably be beer.

What’s next? I want people to come out to the ballpark, have a really good time, enjoy the food and enjoy the summer, and go from there.

CHS Field