As the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches, caterers across the country are busy preparing to serve up to 40,000 meals a day in the Olympic Village.
Among the various ingredients available, this is a chance for athletes to experience one of France's most representative ingredients, baguette.
The humble baton is an essential product on dinner tables across the country, and Olympians will soon be getting a taste of not just a baguette, but how it's made.
The Olympic Village will include five takeout kiosks, a main restaurant and a cafe plaza, plus an outdoor Grab&Go. It is fully equipped with a full-fledged bakery where Olympic athletes can form their own baguettes in the presence of professional chefs.
Stefan Cichelli is the executive chef of Sodexo Live!, the company that won the bid to provide meals within the Olympic Village.
“Outdoor Grab&Go is a 500m x 500m space where you can sit around high tables. Sit or stand, enjoy making your own baguettes with a cup of coffee, or simply savor the flavors fresh from the oven. I can also do it,” Cicelli told Olympic.com.
The former principal of the Lenôtre Culinary School dreamed of owning a bakery in the Olympic Village even before he joined the company that won to provide services for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I haven't worked in this position yet. [when Sodexo Live! won the bid],” he said. “At that time, we had baking classes at school and we were already making bread, so I wanted to incorporate this proposal into the Olympic bid.”
