I love sailing. It’s cathartic in itself; cruising along, water lapping at the hull, well-trimmed sails luffing in the wind, lines and hardware clanging. I’ve sailed in the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Sydney Harbor in Australia, Europe, and of course right here in California. Long Beach, a big sailing community, is where I learned. When I was in college, I was a ‘dock rat’; my girlfriends and I would hang out on the docks and bum rides as race crew for Wet Wednesdays. It was exhilarating.
It was not, however, anything like Sail Grand Prix. Founded by Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Russell Couttes (a world renowned sailor), SGP’s main sponsor is Rolex, along with others like Red Bull and Emerites. This sport is, obviously, a bit spendy, attracting many well-known celebrities as investors of the teams.
We had the opportunity to cater this amazing event when it came to the Los Angeles Harbor. An international organization sponsored by Oracle, Rolex and other prestigious brands, there are teams from 12 countries. They travel to harbors all over the world competing on 4 million dollar, F50 Foiling Catamarans. The teams are made up of extreme athletes, most of them are ex or current Olympians. They are fit, and they eat…a lot. The racecourse is small and tight, and the sailing is fast and technical. Often, the boats miss one another by inches, and sometimes they crash. The spectators in the stands are immersed in the action, close up, and cheering for their team as the boats jibe and tack their way around the course at top speeds of 100km/h (about 60 miles per hour). If you know sailing, that is hella fast.
The logistics behind producing this kind of event are heroic! We start with a blank parking lot type space at the end of a ‘pier’ in the LA Harbor. Day 1, we are feeding the small crew that starts building out the venue. The numbers increase daily until we reach about 200 by the end of the week and our commissary tent is buzzing with energy. Our buffet line is a colorful menagerie of fresh, delicious food, with something for every palate.
Bleachers, massive tents, bathrooms, all have to be set up. After that, the boats come in trailers and the team crews come in to assemble them. Then, the athletes and supporting teams arrive, growing the numbers to 350 the second week. The end of this week is race weekend, when all the spectators and media arrive. During race days, we create and carefully assemble ‘to-go on the water’ meals for the teams. Special attention is paid to packing as many calories as possible into easy to eat, low waste, to-go lunches. Primal Alchemy also created a special menu just for the Media Tent, prior to and during race days.
Then, after race weekend, the process is reversed for the breakdown, until we’re back to the empty lot.
By the numbers: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for three solid weeks, menus all designed for high calorie, healthy, hearty, and accommodating many allergies, from 80-350 guests per day, a total of 6,023 meals, 58 different menus, and 7,323 cups of coffee. We created menus without repeating offerings to keep the variety. Sustainability was paramount. We produced healthy dishes with fresh ingredients for the buffets. Snacks and coffee provided all day, every day. Highlight: Our proven logistics were paramount in the glowing success of this exciting event. In addition, we had the opportunity to work with Potel et Chabot, the French Culinary powerhouse behind the Paris Olympics.
Sail Grand Prix’s tag line is “Powered by Nature”. We, at Primal Alchemy, with our sustainable ethos, our adherence to green practices and healthy, delicious food…couldn’t agree more.
This sailing girl’s heart is looking forward to working with Sail Grand Prix again when they return to these waters.
