With "la Scène des Chefs", the gastronomic corner set up in the Athletes' Village in Seine-Saint-Denis, athletes will be able to sample the (savoury) cuisine of three great French chefs: Akrame Benallal - a Michelin star for his eponymous restaurant in Paris -Amandine Chaignot, the queen of Parisian gourmet bistros and Alexandre Mazzia - three stars for AM in Marseille.
Alexandre Mazzia: "I wanted to challenge myself by cooking".
Chef from Marseille, originally from Congo and standing at one metre ninety-five - he's a former professional basketball player also voted "cook of the year 2019" by the Gault & Millau guide - talks about his pre-Games experience. For the event, Alexandre Mazzia set himself a twofold challenge: to cook as much as possible on site and to offer dishes that had no impact on the athletes' performance.
The extensive work I've been able to do on nutrition with sports doctors, physical and mental trainers, nutritionists... I wanted the dishes to have no harmful impact before, during and after the Games, while still offering something fun.
I'd been interested in the subject for more than 15 years when I was playing basketball, but never in such depth. And nutrition is constantly evolving... People often say that performance in sport has increased. I think that nutrition and materials play a role in this. These are micro factors that save seconds.
A dish with tapioca and merlu: two products that we also work with in the restaurant. The hake is cooked in the same way as here at AM: first steamed, then baked and finally cooked over an open flame - resulting in a very juicy fish. The tapioca is prepared with a very reduced vegetable stock.
The result is a dish that is concentrated in flavour, delicious and fresh, with no added fat. There will also be a recipe based around mackerel - steamed - with peas, barbecued broccoli shoots for a smoky, roasted flavour, and beans married with blackberries.
A third recipe... A mixture of bulgur and quinoa - with reduced juice, hazelnuts and herbs. A plant-based dish with undeniable nutritional qualities. We'll also have beef and rice.
In these dishes, you'll find the hallmarks of my cuisine: roasting, spices and chilli. And most portions can be eaten warm!
AM is open from Wednesday to Saturday, so I'll be in the village every Sunday and Monday! With members of my team - in turn. There will be four of us because we do a lot of preparation and cooking on site (the chefs Amandine Chaignot and Akrame Benallal will be two or three maximum).
Yes, I wanted to challenge myself by cooking spontaneously, in line with what we do in the restaurant! I'm not interested in simply reheating food. And putting yourself in a bit of danger allows the athletes to feel that we've really put ourselves at their service.
All the green products will be cooked on the spot in the morning, the beef will be cooked instantly... I want to maintain a certain freshness with minute cooking. And of course, we'll have a toolbox full of oils and cold and hot dressings to adjust the seasoning.
A menu for 220 diners in Cognac for Martell, one of the oldest Cognac houses in France. We did our own production and dispatch of the dishes. There were 300 waiters and 100 cooks. When I do things, I want to do them well.
Not really, because I've thought about dishes that can be prepared with everyday equipment! That's where the difference between a kitchen assistant and a chef lies: the chef understands the fibre and texture even with very little equipment.
Many, but I'm going to stay French. Marie-José Pérec - double world champion in the 400 m - swimmer Florent Manaudou**, and of course the French basketball team. I've got my tickets for the basketball final on 10 August. My predictions? France v America, that would be nice.
Concentration, pugnacity, passion, acceptance, observation, anticipation, team spirit and benevolence... The fact of gathering and challenging yourself. Don't look for comfort. You do your best and then adapt. In any case, that's how we've always progressed.
