Sports catering at La Finca in Javea
Cooking for a professional women's cycling team in winter training: what athletes eat, and why.
Happy 2020. I start this year's first blog with sports catering in Javea. I finished last year and started this one by cooking for the Dutch Boels Dolman women's cycling team, who are in Javea at La Finca, Rent your own Resort, to prepare for the season. 2020 is an Olympic year, which makes it extra exciting for them and for us, who like watching the games on the television.
Cooking for athletes
Working with a professional group of athletes is different from organising a wedding or cooking for a birthday party. The main objective of the meals is to keep energy levels up: the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, fats and vitamins, the fuel they need for daily training. The second objective is a good tasting meal, and that is where I come in. Thirdly there is the social side: team bonding, talking about the day's events and, let us not forget, having a laugh.
You name it, we cook it
You may have read the phrase "You name it, we cook it" on my website, and working with this team is no different. I got some menu suggestions from Danny Stam, the sporting director of the team, which came in handy for the first weekend. After that I simply asked the group what they would like to eat the next day, and saved their suggestions in my diary.
What to serve
For lunch I serve either a soup of blended vegetables like spinach, broccoli or courgette, or an egg dish such as tortillas, omelettes or vegetable frittatas, with whole grain bread, lean chicken, cheese, a mixed salad and fruit.
For dinner: 100 grams of brown rice or pasta, 200 grams of fresh vegetables and 125 grams of lean meat or fatty fish, with a large salad such as a Greek or tomato and mozzarella. Avocados are very popular too. Chicken and lentil curry, chili con carne and classics like ratatouille with a mash of sweet potato and butternut squash are suitable and popular.
I wish all the cyclists of the Dutch Boels Dolman team who trained in Javea this winter all the best for 2020 and the upcoming Olympics in Japan.
Chef Bob