 "Explained: Paris Olympics' elaborate plan to run 3,300-seat restaurant for athletes and available food")
The food is the last thing on your mind when you think about an Olympics, but the Paris Summer Games 2024, like any previous edition of the quadrennial event, will not only serve some of the best sporting action but also a gastronomical delight for its athletes, officials, and fans. The athletes in particular are going to be overwhelmed by the organisers making elaborate arrangements at the Olympic Village restaurant with several Michelin-starred chefs being hired as consultants.
Those looking for fast food, however, are set to be disappointed as french fries will not be available in the athletes’ accommodation, mainly because deep-fat fryers are not allowed in the temporary kitchens at the site, which is usually used as a film studio.
“For technical reasons, we can’t offer fries,” Estelle Lamotte, deputy director of village catering at food group Sodexo, told media. Sodexo Live is the official partner of the Paris Games for arranging food for athletes and guests at the Olympic and Paralympic Village and sporting venues.
The absence will be starkly different for athletes who also took part in the 2016 Rio Olympics which had a McDonald’s restaurant in the Olympic Village.
Giant restaurant at Olympic Village
Nonetheless, there will be plenty of options and it became clear when the 3,300-seat restaurant of the Paris Olympic Village had its first test run at the end of June with sports figures, officials, and journalists as the guests. It will be open 24/7 from 12 July.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe giant restaurant is situated in a vast former power station and includes six different dining areas offering meals from around the world but the French cuisine will be at the centre of it.
“People are going to meet here in France, with its culture, its heritage but also its gastronomy and so there are expectations,” chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters.
“We’ve allowed ourselves to put French gastronomy in pride of place so that curious athletes from around the world can try French culinary excellence,” Estanguet added.
Focus on environment-friendly food
One of the interesting things about the menu of Olympic Villages is that half of the 50 dishes available each day will be 100 percent vegetarian. At sports venues, 60 percent of food offered to fans will be vegetarian and the temporary stadium hosting skateboarding, BMX, and breakdancing at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris will be entirely meat-free.
Why?
It’s an initiative by the organising committee to halve the carbon footprint by avoiding meat.
“One of the major commitments by Paris 2024 was offering vegetarian meals in order to halve the carbon footprint of each meal on average,” Gregoire Bechu, head of sustainable food at the Paris organising committee, said. “We wanted vegetarian meals everywhere.”
Another method employed by the organisers to reduce the carbon footprint of the food department is not using air conditioning in four out of six restaurant areas in the Village. These four restaurant areas will be in outdoor sheltered by fabric sun shades and ventilated with overhead fans.
“I think we’ve found a good compromise between offering the right temperature but also reducing our carbon emissions,” Estanguet said. “It’s one of the main challenges of the Paris 2024 edition.”
Indian food on the menu
It has been reported in Indian media that Dal, roti, aloo-gobi and chicken curry will be available in the Olympic Village after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) recommendation was accepted by Games organisers.
What else will be on the menu?
Over 500 recipes have been added to the menu of the Olympic Village restaurant which will have 1,000 employees to make approximately 40,000 services each day. 15,000 athletes are expected to attend the Games from 206 Olympic and 182 Paralympic teams.
The everyday offering will be based on four themes – France, Asia, Africa-Caribbean and world cuisine. Apart from the 50 dishes, there will be a salad section with 30 options, a bakery, a cheese section, and a grill with meat and sides.
According to an estimate, 600–800 baguettes will be baked a day for athletes.
Some of the food items on offer will be:
Veggie Bourguignon
Brandade de morue (salt cod and potato mash)
Minced pork and Thai basil/basmati rice
Cauliflower and baked potato with turmeric
Bell pepper, onion, tomato and pepper stir fry (Chakchouka)
Fried shrimp with chermoula sauce
Lamb and mint juice reduction
Veggie Moussaka
The Paris Olympics run from July 26-August 11 followed by the Paralympics from August 28-September 8.
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