With long strides, Marie Soria spins through the crowded aisles of Roland-Garros. In the middle of tracksuits and flashy caps, her long silhouette in a white apron stands out. The only colorful note in her outfit, big sneakers that allow her to line up the miles (“up to 25 per day during the competition”she specifies, step counter in support), while a bun retains any crazy locks during her walk.
This athletic fifty-something does not work on clay but in the kitchens of Roland-Garros on behalf of the top-of-the-range Parisian caterer Potel et Chabot. It is under the direction of the chef that nearly 7,000 meals are prepared each day during the two weeks that the tournament lasts. The challenge is dizzying, but it is all the more difficult to meet as the dishes, intended for VIPs (guests of works councils, sponsors, etc.), are of a level approaching a gourmet restaurant.
Monday May 23, while the Frenchwoman Diane Parry eliminated defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, a crowd of gourmands could thus savor pieces of snacked raw tuna accompanied by vegetable ravioli; a perfectly cooked sea bream adorned with a courgette flower and a mont-blanc punctuated with candied lemon. The price of the meal is difficult to assess because it is included in a “package” including access to lessons and other services. But it is probably substantial: Potel et Chabot recently marketed “gourmet boxes” betting on luxury products (scallops, truffle bass, etc.) for nearly 80 euros. The prestigious caterer is used to large events such as the Cannes Film Festival and serves dishes for thousands of people with the care that would be required for 30 guests.
By what miracle? By relying first on an extremely rigorous organization. Roland-Garros has been divided into three areas, each with its own kitchen: maze of white corridors and rows of cold rooms, ovens, hobs, which you can’t imagine walking with the public on the sports site. . Each zone relies on battalions of chefs and maîtres d’hôtel who lead squads of around twenty chefs de rang, clerks, sommeliers, briefed in the early morning and whose shoes they even check.
“Get a good dose of adrenaline”
In all, 250 cooks and 850 room employees are mobilized. Figures that make you dizzy, especially since the tendency for staff is rather to flee the catering sector. Like other major caterers (Lenôtre, Dalloyau, etc.), Potel et Chabot has been permanently shaken by the pandemic. “Fortunately, over time we have created a network of professionals to rely on, says the chef. Starred restaurants send us their teams, we train students, little hands and chef friends let go of their activities during the event. » This is the case, for example, of Laurent Chauvin, a regular who explains that he returns year after year to “take a good dose of adrenaline”.
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