In 1997 the US Ski Team and Healthy Choice entered into sponsorship agreement.  As the national spokes person for the brand and because of my athletic history with Alpine Sk Racing I was charged to develop and set up a performance nutrition program for the athletes.

 

We executed a pre-Olympic session in Beaver Creek, Colorado followed by an on ground operation in Japan for the US Olympic Ski Teams competing in the Nagano Winter Olympics. My partner in this endeavor was Alan Ashley, the Athletic Director for the US Ski Team,

 

NAGANO WINTER OLYMPICS - 1998

I developed a comprehensive program for the athletes with my nutritional and culinary teams and went to Japan with 2 volunteer chefs and an interpreter to execute it. The logistics were massive and included the coordination and transportation of food products from the United States to Japan, sourcing fresh products when we arrived and coordinating the food programs. The teams were housed on three separate mountains about 20 miles from each other. There were two hotels and the Nike house in Hakuba, a hotel in Ilzuna Kogena and a lodge in Shiga Kogen. My center of operations became the Nike House, rented for Picabo Street and her coaches.  

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SALT LAKE CITY WINTER OLYMPICS - 2002

Alan Ashley called me in 2001 and asked me if I would be interested in repeating Japan but on a far larger scale. I was to become the Director of Performance Nutrition Programs for the US Olympic Ski and Snowboard teams.  It would take 6 months of my time, but I immediately agreed to do it.

 

I was no longer affiliated with Healthy Choice, so I talked to a number of our own clients and they agreed to support the program. I developed a master menu based on new nutritional guidelines for the athletes and incorporated sponsors products including buffalo and grass fed beef. Alan wanted to put each Alpine team in it's own house within walking distance or a short drive from their venues; he also wanted to add the Cross Country, Ski Jumping and Snowboard Teams to the mix. In all there were to be 6 locations in Park City and 2 in Snowbasin, about 30 miles away.

 

I needed 10 chefs - 1 for each house and 1 floater chef in each location to coordinate product ordering back-up services. I also needed a 3 person logistical team to accept incoming sponsorship product and to source produce and fresh product on location. I made the calls and everyone of the chefs I contacted volunteered their time pro bono. We rented 2 x 40' tractor trailers, one refrigerated and one set up as a freezer, and staged them in the parking lot of the new US Ski Team Fitness Training Center in Park City. From there we coordinated transportation of product to each location three times a day. Chevrolet supplied us with trucks and Panasonic and JR Manufacturing with on site equipment.  

 

In all we fed over 250 athletes, coaches and support staff performance balanced cuisine over the 3 weeks of the Olympics. It was one of the hardest projects that I have ever attempted but in the end a great team of chefs and support staff made it a logistical and culinary success!