"The Aroma of Bread Made by a Michelin Chef"…The Athletes' Village Restaurant in the "Gourmet Nation" Is Different [Paris Olympics]

Usain Bolt's 'McNugget' Replaced by 'Michelin Chef'
"Please Call It a Restaurant, Not a Diner"

There are no McNuggets, known as Usain Bolt's "secret to gold medals," in the 2024 Paris Olympic Village. Instead, Michelin-starred chefs are baking 2,000 loaves of bread daily and preparing meals for 40,000 people, the New York Times (NYT) reported.

At the bakery near the entrance of the Olympic Village, more than 2,000 baguettes, croissants, focaccias, and various other breads are baked every day. They even offer baking classes for athletes to enjoy during their rest after competitions. Guillaume Thomas, Paris Olympic communications officer, told the NYT, "Every French village has a bakery," adding, "We hope athletes can smell the baguettes as they enter the village."

The Paris Olympic Village boasts as many as six restaurants. Unlike previous Olympics where dining halls were simply called "dining halls," this time they are called "restaurants." Philippe Wurtz, head of Olympic food and beverage, said, "It was unimaginable to call them anything other than restaurants." Among the six restaurants, two serve French cuisine, two serve Asian cuisine, one offers halal food, and one serves world cuisine.

Thomas Bach, IOC President, is touring the Olympic Village salad bar.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

As they brand these as "restaurants" rather than dining halls, the kitchen setup is also exceptional. Four Michelin-starred chefs are included. Amandine Chaignot, who appeared as a judge on MasterChef France, is among those cooking personally. Additionally, famous chefs from around the world were gathered to recreate local flavors. Of the 40,000 meals served daily in the village restaurants, 1,200 are prepared by Michelin-starred chefs. French President Emmanuel Macron has even visited the village to taste the food, showing his interest.

Wurtz explained to The Guardian, "The star chefs' menus were developed in collaboration with sports nutritionists, so they meet the actual needs of athletes while maintaining very high culinary standards."

To satisfy the diverse tastes of athletes from around the world, requests such as kimchi from the Korean team and miso soup from the Japanese team have been accommodated.

French President Emmanuel Macron is having lunch with the French delegation at the Olympic Village on the 22nd.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Times reported, "At the 2012 London Olympics, athletes flocked to McDonald's for fast food, but at the Paris Olympics, the most popular place in the village is the restaurant with Michelin-starred chefs." Although McDonald's ended its Olympic sponsorship after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, this reflects the high interest in French cuisine.

The most popular dishes in the village are known to be chicken skewers, chicken fillet, and salmon. Margherita pizza is also popular. Preferences vary by sport. Wurtz told The Guardian, "Beach volleyball and taekwondo teams request cold meats, sandwiches, and salads, while rowing teams prefer warm dishes. The badminton team, which has many Asian athletes, does not like bread much."

Despite the Michelin-starred chefs' cooking, some teams bring their own food to maintain optimal condition. According to the NYT, the U.S. team brought protein shakes, pretzels, popcorn, beef jerky, energy bars, and peanut butter; the Kenyan team brought traditional snack ugali; and the Irish team prepared porridge.