With the Olympic Games kicking off in Paris on 26 July, it’s not just the athletes who will be preparing for two weeks of mental and physical challenges. 200 chefs will prepare more than 40,000 meals every day – feeding 15,000 athletes – in what’s been hailed as the world’s biggest restaurant. Located in the Olympic Village, the restaurant will be able to accomodate 3,500 people in one sitting, and will offer six ‘grab and go’ areas where athletes can find smaller items like snacks and baked goods.
There’s been a major shift from fast food to fine dining this year, with French organisers keen to improve the quality of food on offer. A host of Michelin-starred chefs have been enlisted to cook up a proportion of the dishes, including Amandine Chaignot, Alexandre Mazzia and Akrame Benallal. According to Paris’ Head of Food Philipp Wurz, 1,200 Michelin meals will be served a day, while 30% of the menu will be plant-based to offer athletes vegan alternatives to meat-based options.
There’s also been an increased focus on the health standards of the food at the Paris Olympics after 20% of athletes allegedly consumed McDonald’s at the London Games. Usain Bolt famously claimed to have eaten 100 nuggets a day when he competed in the 2008 Beijing Games before winning gold in the 100m and 200m – but you won’t be seeing any chicken nuggets on the menu in 2024. ‘It’s a much healthier menu now,’ explained Wurz. ‘With no McDonald’s, no chicken nuggets, and more healthy food.’
Many of the Michelin meals have been developed with sports nutritionists to offer both high quality cooking that’s nutritionally balanced to support athletes’ performance.
Poached eggs, artichoke cream and shavings of sheep’s cheese topped with truffle are just some of the meals on offer this year, while 2,000 baguettes, croissants, and focaccia will be baked daily to fuel the teams.
Team GB are reported to have put in a special request for porridge as their breakfast option of choice, foregoing buttery French favourites for their staple bowl of oats. Special requests have been put in by other teams too. Beach volleyball and taekwondo apparently asked for cold meat, sandwiches and salads, while rowing teams fancied a hot buffet.
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