I’m a chef at Preston North End and now I’m cooking for athletes at the Paris Olympics
Colin Smith will be swapping Lancashire for Paris as he gears up to feed 15,000 competitors in the Athletes’ Village!
A Lancashire chef who cooks for the likes of Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers, has headed out to the Paris Olympics in order to cook for competitors.
Colin Smith, originally from Whittle-le-Woods near Chorley, is the only UK Sodexo Live! chef to join the French team who are delivering all the catering for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Colin has joined 19 other global chefs from across the wider Sodexo business to be part of the team in Paris and before he left, he created a few of the dishes he will be cooking in Paris for staff and players at Blackburn Rovers Football Club.
In addition to Blackburn Rovers, Colin is Executive Head Chef for three Sodexo Live! venues in the North West, the other two being Preston North End and also the Brick Community Stadium in Wigan.
Sodexo Live! is one of the world leaders in catering and services for sport, events and cultural destinations and it is the fastest growing catering company in this market.
While in Paris Colin will be cooking for the 15,000 competitors in the Athletes’ Village in what is set to be the world’s biggest restaurant during the games.
500 recipes have been created for the games, and before he jetted off to Paris, he created two of these at Ewood Park, the home of Blackburn Rovers, where staff and some under 21 players got to try his food.
Each day in Paris it is anticipated the chef team will serve up to 40,000 meals. The daily menus will feature 120 specials, and around 40 different main dishes to choose from with one third of the menu offering entirely plant-based options.
Colin who is used to catering for large numbers at his stadia said: “On match days across any of the three stadia we can be catering for up to 1,200 spectators, we are also well versed on the sports nutrition side as we also provide the catering to the teams at their training grounds.
“That said, I am very excited and proud to be able to join my Sodexo Live! colleagues, it is going to be fabulous.”
The Olympics are taking place from July 26 - August 11, followed by the Paralympics from August 28 - September 8.
Sodexo Live! will be providing food services 24/7 and in addition to catering for the athletes and their delegations will be present at 14 Olympics competition venues and 8 Paralympic venues for the general public.
Colin returns to the UK on August 7 in time for the start of the new football season. It will mark a year since Sodexo Live! took over the catering and hospitality at Preston North End.