Dishes to satisfy every athlete
Over 500 recipes have been developed by the chefs of Sodexo Live!, including over 50 hot dishes ready to be served every day. That would usually be enough to satisfy almost anyone but a small omission catches the attention of the guests in attendance: where are the fries that could accompany the grilled meats and other dishes?
“We can’t set up a deep-fryer”, explained Estelle Lamotte, assistant manager of the Village restaurant, while revealing that there will be no fried food in the restaurant.
“The technical issues, particularly the fact that the building dates back to 1903 and has been converted into a restaurant with several areas, were a challenge. And we’re not allowed to cook under a canvas, so there’s no deep fryer,” she continued.
However, athletes should have more than enough choices thanks to the different themes offered by the restaurant.
“At the salad bar, for example, 40 per cent of the items will be related to the region, so here in the ‘world area‘, we have roasted sweet potatoes but you’ll also find manioc flour in the African-Carribean area, rice noodles for the Asian cuisine or gluten-free penne in French cuisine,” explained Charles Guilloy, executive chef of the village.
“The desserts are also themed: in the French section, you’ll find a Parisian flan, a lemon-meringue tartlet, a Paris-Brest, while in the world cuisine section, you’ll have cheesecake, banana bread and tiramisu,” he added. “The same goes for the bread: in Asian cuisine, you’ll find naan, while in world cuisine, you’ll find tortilla and focaccia.”
To find their way around easily, athletes will have access to a mobile app which they can use to view the different menus. “The idea is to make them travel”, concludes Guilloy.
Listening to the athletes
In order to satisfy the needs of everyone, athletes were asked about their eating habits and preferences prior to the Games.
“Along with Sodexo Live! we have created an offering that satisfies all needs and expectations to provide them [the athletes] with the best food possible,“ explained Grégoire Béchu, the sustainable food project manager at Paris 2024, who has worked on this project for four years.
“We spent a lot of time talking with the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees in order to understand the expectations of the athletes. We created a survey and over 200 athletes were consulted.”
Some clear preferences emerged from the answers. “Before the competition, they want to have a familiar, reassuring diet, and after the competition, there is a moment of pleasure when they want to discover a French recipe or different things they’re not used to eating.”
There has already been a positive reaction to the cuisine. For Brice Guyart, a two-time Olympic fencing gold medallist, the test was a success.
“For athletes who competed at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, we’re well ahead in terms of quality and service levels,” he said.
“It’s a healthier and more vegetarian diet than the one I experienced,” he admitted. And the numbers back up his assertion: 40 per cent of the dishes are vegetarian.
Nutritionists on hand to assist athletes
Finally, athletes will be able to seek advice from nutritionists who speak French, English, Mandarin, Spanish and Russian, if needed.
One of them will be present at the restaurant every day from 10 am to 6 pm, while the restaurant will be open 24 hours a day so that athletes can eat at any time.
Furthermore, each dish or ingredient will include a small nutritional fact sheet indicating the calories and joules per 100 grams of food.
The restaurant plans to open officially on 12 July, before welcoming the first athletes on 18 July.