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

The Oil, Pistons & Belts

There's a whole lot of parts that make an engine work that are rarely thought about as you put the key into your ignition & turn it over. Until something breaks down of course.

We talk about all the meals we've produced and occasionally mentioned the importance of each member & job of the team, but now as we get close to the end I'd like to emphasis the fact that without one, the other wouldn't succeed. And the fact all this occured in a 24 hour a day feeding operation, never closing down. As all are equal, in no particular order here's a list of all the positions that are/were instrumental in making it all happen;

The Porters: typically this encompasses the cleaning of everything. In an earlier post Bill mentioned how every time he turned around the items he used were taken away & cleaned. That includes all equipment, the ovens, kettles, pots, utensils, floors, counters & they take out all the garbage & recycling. They are amazing at what they do.

The Counter & Station Attendants: Serving the finished product/meal to the diner. Probably one of the most important positions, as they are the direct link to the customer. They are the ones that answer all the questions and attractively arrange each choice on the plate and serve it up with a warm smile. They also replenish steamline/deli items and continually keep the area clean. Sometimes they the alternate as a runner.

The Runners; these are the guys and gals and ensure all the menu items are kept refilled from the hotboxes to the steamlines. they can often also be found pitching in as Porters and Counter Attendants.

Dining Room Attendents: are responsible for ensuring the dinning rooms are continually kept clean, which also includes the washrooms and removing the mounds of trash and recyclables. Remember, there are 300 seats in the Workforce dining room feeding nearly 1000, and 900 seats in the athletes dining pavilion feeding upwards of 2600 during out peak periods.

Catering Staff Uniform Attendants: although small in number, they make sure we all have clean uniforms each day and the change rooms are kept spotless.

HR, Payroll, Heath & Safety: another small group, but they ensure were all looked after in one way or another. From making sure we're paid, to arranging our travel to and from the games, to safety in the workplace.

Chefs, Cooks & Bakers; well, they're the ones that put it all together, noramally working 14 hour shifts.

Food & Beverage, and Receivers: in addition to receiving & storing the food, there are 2 satellite food stations in the Athletes Village that provide a comfortable escape fpr the athletes way from the dining pavillion and the confines of their rooms. The Far Coast Cafe & the Living Room receive prepared food and beverages such as sandwhiches, soup, muffins, coffee, pop etc. These locations are staffed by counter attendants. They also provide delivery and set up service to VIP meetings and special events off location.

All in all there are nearly 180 of us in the Whistler location, working together towards the common goal of providing the best food and service to our diners, which includes the Olympic & Paralympic Athletes, their coaches, assistants, and our Workforce. One cannot exsist without the other. As my final week winds down I will be adding pictures of as many of the team members as possible to the photo page. Check back daily to see who's who making it all possible.

2 of our Counter Attendants, Jessica & Amber

Cheers, Olympic Mike ;~)

Olympic Highs and Lows

Not only do the Athlete's have High's and Lows during their competitions as they win or loose, the kitchen staff have the same, however when we hit the low's, who better to laugh at, then ourselves.

Olympic Bill

Barbados here we come

Can you believe that Laura's Mom has invited the kitchen staff to her house for a 2011 Olympic Culinary Reunion in Barbados? Don't think your getting on that invite list unless you've actually slugged it out in our Kitchen, Thanks Mom

Olympic Bill

Another Olympic Culinary Milestone

We finally hit the 200,000 meal mark and it feels like a cake walk now that we've mastered the routines. So today we only fed 6000 meals, in a couple of weeks I'll be home cooking for my family of 4 trying not to dump 4 lbs of spices into the turkey chili. It took some people a long time to get used to adding large bottles of spices to the some of the casseroles and stews. I would tell them to put in oregano and they would sprinkle a bit on top, I'd dump the whole bottle and go looking for a second one only to see a bewildered look on their face. We may take 6000 meals for granted now, but there were quite a few learning curves to get there. I just hope they can adapt back to the small #'s more quickly once they're home with there own families.

Olympic Bill

Paralympics Opening Ceremony

Here we go again, these past few days the kitchen has been ramping up as we get ready for the opening ceremonies tomorrow. Team Canada arrived yesterday and had there athletic welcoming ceremony to the village so were all pretty excited to support our athletes once again. Although were not feeding as many athletes for the paralympics the menu's are still the same with just as much preparation to set up all the food stations. On top if this we prepare almost 800 grab and go breakfast bags for the workforce as they head up to their sites for the day, but lately they haven't been going so fast so we're finding other uses for the items that will expire before they're used. Anyone got any good recipes for a load of milk?

Olympic Bill

No Hot Tub!

Little Mikey may be right about the living accommodations where he is relegated to the Atco Trailers with bathrooms for 2 and a 3 min walk to work and no alcohol. We on the other hand have to suffer in a $600,000.00 condo with a million dollar view from every room and livingroom with leather furniture fit for Athletes from around the world. So we don't have hot tubs, we do have beer!!

In any case this blog isn't about living accommodations and who has what, it's about the Olympics and the food we serve. Today we are at our peak feeding for athletes and our workforce and tomorrow we have to prepare almost 800 box lunches for the athletes as they head to Vancouver on Friday for the opening ceremonies. Last night we made over 1000  meatball subs for our workforce lunch special and fresh ratatouille for 1600. Try this recipe at home

8 cases of large Eggplants
4 cases of Green zuchinni
4 cases of yellow zuchinni
2 x 50 lb bags of sliced onions
6 cases of diced tomatoes,
add seasoning herb, a bit of Love and next thing you know you have ratatouille for 1600. You know our diners are happy, remember Food is morale, Cheers

Olympic Bill

200,000 Meal Mark

In preparation for the Paralympics & in combination with the Olympics we've now surpassed the 200,000 meal mark in 6 weeks. Without a doubt an amazing accomplishment.

I also wanted to add to Bill's post about the workforce move. What he conveniently left out was, while in the process of setting up the Senior Chef's & Management in the fancy condo's while the rest of were put in the Atco trailer's, we actually ended up with the better deal. We're 2 to a room & sharing one bathroom & a 2 minute walk to work, while they got stuck with 6 people sharing one bathroom & the condo's are at the far reaches of the village with an approx 20 minute walk to work. We've all had a good laugh over that one.

Cheers, Olympic Mike

Army Visitors

Apparently we are surrounded by the Canadian Armed Forces as part of our protection team and a few of my old Food Service compatriots came into the village for a tour.  I think amazement was an understatement and not just because they saw me in chef whites actually cooking, but to see the magnitude of food services we are providing in our facility. Major Derri, Sgt Lipp and MCpl Lagdon experienced an opportunity of a lifetime to see inside the Olympic Athletes village where most people only get to read about it. As military cooks we feed great food to our diners, I remember 20 years ago when we started to introduce pasta bars and pizza stations along with their meals served on the steamline. Here, we provide food services to 9 food stations plus 2 workforce dining rooms for over 12,000 meals a day in a kitchen no bigger than Windsor Park galley in Halifax (typical 500 man messhall).  I think the highlight of their visit was to meet and Chat with Michael Smith and see him cooking as well. In this kitchen I know the military would be proud of us because all Chef's lead from the front (first in, last out ring a bell?)

Olympic Bill

Olympic Moving Day

Sorry I missed the post yesterday but we went through some crazy routines moving out of our condo and into the Athlete's village. Our kitchen staff moved off the cruise ship and into the village in some pretty nice Atco trailers with only 2 to a room with a washroom for 2 people instead of 4 on the ship. The food service managers moved into the athlete condo's and somehow I manged to get a room to myself while everyone else is sharing ( we'll keep that our little secret from Michael Smith who's sharing with Chef Stephen Lee, Ha).

Olympic Bill

Round 2, Paralympics

As we wind down with athlete feeding today now that the Olympics are over, our workforce #'s will increase on Thursday because all the staff living on the cruise ship will move into the village and we'll be feeding upwards of 2000 per  meal. Just when we thought we had a couple days to relax before the Paralympic Athletes start coming into the village, we ramp up again. I'll keep you posted on our feeding plan to serve fresh products for the masses.

Olympic Bill

On to the 2010 Paralympics!

As we recoup from the main event, we now set our goals & efforts on the Paralympics Games. Now that all the kinks & hurdles have been smoothed out, we anticipate being able to provide immeasurable quality of food and service to our Paralympian Athletes.

Our final numbers from the Olympics was nearly 132,000 meals served, and 394 skids of groceries weighing in at over 3/4 of a million pounds. Keep tuned in for our posts on our adventures of the 2010 Paralympics Games from Whistler, BC.

Cheers, Olympic Mike

Olympic Breakfast Team

A special mention this morning to our breakast team. This is one team that we've taken for granted but have to come to appreciate day in and day out. As we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it set's the tone for us every day. Lead by Chef Robert who is dedicated and a hard worker preparing breakfast for thousands, he coordinates and ensures breakfast is ready on time each day because he has a lot of people counting on him. He has a dedicated crew that backs him up,  in a previous E-Mail I spoke about the 25 items on the breakfast line, but what about the people that make the food?
Laura from Toronto always has a cheery smile and prepares a special breakfast each morning for the chef's to ensure our stressful day starts off right. Ann Marie and Jennifer are our bakers that not only prepare all the pastries and desserts, but get the muffins and bannock ready each day. Chris, Will and Peter man all the hot food stations preparing eggs, pancakes etc out front for the athletes, but remember one thing, there all backed up by Chef Robert in the kitchen so this team sings as one. To all the members of this team, I thank you, you are our unsung hero's.

Olympic Bill

Closing Ceremonies

I’m Canadian and proud of it, in 10 years someone is going to ask me where I was when Sidney Crosby scored the overtime goal to win the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics and I’m going to say I was cooking with my buddies in the athlete’s village in Whistler watching the game in the cafeteria with 300 of my newest friends. My good friend Michael Smith and I have had many culinary adventures over the past 10 years but this one has to top them all.

Olympic Bill