Last Olympic Blog

OK, I've been home a week and I'm getting peppered with E-Mails to write the last Olympic Blog, so here it goes.

As we prepared to close out our last meal in the Olympic village for the athletes and workforce, it was only appropriate that all the remaining chef's get together at the chef's table for our last supper. Although we didn't have a lot of food remaining in the kitchen, I was amazed to see a cornucopia of dishes come out of no where. We were only feeding 30 chefs instead of 3000 so I was impressed at the level of dishes prepared, these young guys and gals even surprised this old dog with some of the delicacies presented.

In fine military tradition, I asked everyone to stand up after dinner and speak about themselves for a few minutes on what they will remember most and future aspirations. This was the highlight of dinner for everyone even though a few were so nervous they almost fell off the chair.

Farewell’s are always difficult once close bonds have been formed and this was a tough one for everyone to say farewell after all we've been through. For those Chef’s and cooks that had to leave early and were not able to attend our final farewell, not to worry, we thought and talked about you all night (even Anthony). It just so happened to be Narish’s birthday so our last hoorah at Roland's was even more memorable once the chocolate penis cake and blow up doll came out. For those photo’s you’ll have to check out the X-rated Bill and Mike’s website, Ha! What a party it was, Kitchen staff ROCKS!

I’ve been asked a 100 times what I thought of this adventure/experience of a lifetime and I can sum it up in one sentence. “Good and Bad, this is something I will never forget”. We all learned a lot about ourselves and what our limits are, with that, I’ll close the Olympic Blog portion of Bill and Mike’s adventure but stay tuned for more Michael Smith and Bill Pratt culinary adventures in the future 

Chef Bill Pratt

We Came, We Fed, We Conquered...

I figured I'd wait for a week after getting home to make my final post.  I wanted to take the time to let it all sink in and be able to reflect on the experience with a clear head. A few of the highlights;

Over 320,000 meals prepared & served in a 2 month period, 12,000 a day in the height of the event.
Just over 600 skids of food received, weighing and average of 2000 pounds, for a whopping 1.2 million pounds.
Prepared by a team of approximately 180 people who came from all over the globe with one common goal.

Truly the most amazing experience of my life, and I've had many.  What I didn't expect or think of prior, was all the new friends for the rest of my life I'd meet.  Something which was common when I was in the military, but since I've been out for the past 10 years I'd forgotten the excitement of bonding with new found friends.  For me, this was without a doubt the best part of the entire experience.  It also wouldn't have been the same incredible experience if it hadn't been shared with my long time friend and comrade.  Thanks for bringing me along on one of your crazy adventures Bill, it'll be hard to top this one.  What's next, London 2012?  Who knows.

I know I speak for Bill when I say, thanks to everyone who followed our blog, made comments and showed your support.  As we mentioned before, the response has been overwhelming, yet humbling.

Cheers,  Olympic Mike :~)

300,000 Olympic Meals

We served 300,000 meals so far and in true fashion we celebrated it with yet another cake. That's about 43,000 meals a week for the past 7 weeks, and it's all winding down very quickly. One more day for me and then it's all but a memory. I've been here 10 weeks now and met and worked with some great chef's, interesting cooks and all around fantastic hospitality professionals from around the world. We all came together to work this amazing event and made some great friends, have some great memories, but more importantly we made a difference for the athletes and our workforce and will remember this for the rest of our lives. To all the staff, from the dishwasher to the counter attendants, from the prep cook to the celebrity chefs and everyone in-between - I THANK YOU ALL.

Olympic Bill

Mike's Last Day

Yesterday was Little Mike's last day here, so a few of us went out to dinner at the Bearfoot Creek Bistro. We heard so much about the Araxi restaurant (Hell's kitchen winner was supposed to go work there) but all the locals rave about the Bearfoot so we went there instead. Dinner will be one of the most memorable meals I've ever enjoyed and would recommend it to anyone considering a trip to Whistler. Just remember to bring your bank book.  The highlight of the evening was getting the opportunity to Sabre off the top of a Champagne bottle for my buddies and then toasting it in one of the most unique wine cellars I've been in.

This morning little Mike's Olympic adventure ends and he should be home in Sooke in time for supper. Although he's leaving a couple days early, he will surely be missed. I am just glad that 2 old military buddies were able to spend some quality time together over these past 7 weeks. I'm sure the both of us will have enough stories to write a book when it's all over.

See Ya Mike

St Patrick's Day in Whistler

In true Olympic spirit, the kitchen staff came up with our own St Patrick's day menu for the workforce that any Irishman would have been proud of.

Guiness Beer Potato Cheddar and GREEN Leek Soup
Slow Roasted Beef Brisket
GREEN Parsley Boiled Potatoes
Steamed GREEN Cabbage Wedges
Baily's Irish cream Cheesecake

Chef Melody adding Guiness to the Soup

Then of course everyone went out last night to the same pub (Rolands in Creekside) and partied like there was no tomorrow. Some of us snuck out early so we're ready for work, while others soldiered on until the wee hours of the morning so they could suffer all day today, aaah to be 20 years old again. To bad there were no Leprechans for a wish or two.

Olympic Bill

Michael Smith's 2010 Olympic Culinary Team

Someone had a great idea to capture the culinary teams photo as an Olympic momento, after a few takes and a lot of people juggling there schedules, we managed to get everyone in the room for our photo for Chef Michael.

Olympic Bill

Supervisors....

I was told today that I neglected to mention the supervisors in my previous post.  Although supervisors were not mentioned, it was actually intentional.  Being in a supervisory position in my real life, I've always considered the role to be a part of the team and try not to distinguish a separation, which I believe enforces the team spirit.  They are still a integral part of the system, and work hands on in every position mentioned, and just as hard as everyone else.  It's my way of emphasising a cohesive successful team..

That said, I'd like to make mention of a couple great fella's that Becky & I work with, F&B supervisors Dave from Wales, and James from Melbourne.  Experienced worldwide Food & Beverage managers for over 8 years, they tend to live as gypsies, working event to event throughout the year.  Their next big adventure is the British open in May 2010.  We couldn't have asked for a better pair to work with here at the 2010 Olympics in Whistler!

F&B Supervisors, Dave & James

Cheers, Olympic Mike