French food services company Sodexo Live!, which was selected to oversee the catering at the Olympic Village and 14 venues of the Games, says it has created 500 recipes to be offered at a sit-down restaurant in the Village. With seating for up to 3,500 people, it is said to be the “world’s largest restaurant”.
“Of course, there will be some classics for athletes, like pasta,” says Nathalie Bellon-Szabo, the global chief executive of Sodexo Live! But the food will have a “very French touch”.
Athletes will also have access to “grab-and-go” food stands, including one dedicated exclusively to French cuisine.
French chef Amandine Chaignot, who runs a restaurant and a cafe-bistro in Paris, last week unveiled one of her recipes based on the croissant.
“I wanted the recipe I suggested to be representative of the French terroir, but I wanted athletes to enjoy it at the same time,” she says. “It was quite obvious for me to make a croissant that I could twist.
“So you have a bit of artichoke purée, a poached egg, a bit of truffle and a bit of cheese. It’s both vegetarian and mouthwatering.”
Chaignot says this is “so they’ll be able to chat and better understand what French cuisine is about – and to understand a bit of our culture as well”.
Daily specials will be accompanied by a wide range of salads, pastas, grilled meats and soups. Cheeses will include top quality Camembert, Brie and sheep’s milk-based Ossau-Iraty from southwestern France.
The Olympic Village will also feature a bakery producing fresh baguettes and other breads.
“The idea is to offer athletes the chance to grab a piping hot baguette for breakfast,” says baker Tony Doré, who will be working at the Olympic Village’s main restaurant.
Athletes will be able to participate in daily bakery training sessions, and learn to make their own French baguette, Doré says.
In an effort to provide as many options as possible, dishes will be available under four cuisine categories: French, Asian, African and Caribbean, and international food.
Paris 2024 organisers have promised to make the Games more sustainable and eco-friendly – and that includes efforts to reduce the use of plastic. The main restaurant at the village will use only reusable dishes.
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Additionally, organisers say all meals will be based on seasonal products, 80 per cent of which will come from France.
There is “a huge amount of plant-based recipes that will be available for the general public to try, to experience and, hopefully, they will love it”, Würz says.