Elite athletes are just like us. They explore the world, they go out to eat and they’ve got a memory bank of standout meals, both near and far. With the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics now upon us, we asked three Team Canada hopefuls to give us a taste of their carb-loading rituals, after-practice indulgences and tried-and-true restaurant picks.
William Dandjinou
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov/Supplied
Sport: Short-track speed skating
Current home base: Montreal
Montreal is a great food city. What role, beyond sustenance, does food play a role in your life?
I love eating. For me, there are two parts to it: There’s respecting who I am as an athlete and what I want to accomplish performance-wise, and then there’s the pleasure part of food. When I travel for competitions, I’m fortunate to try different local foods afterwards. What’s super cool about Montreal is the huge diversity of food on offer; I enjoy tasting the world at my doorstep.
Where do you like to eat out in Montreal?
Hélico is by my place and makes its own bread and pastries. It’s more of a café during the day, and then it becomes a pretty high-end restaurant with very good quality food. My girlfriend introduced me to some great Italian food here – we go to Stellina a lot. Belle Afrique is a great option for African food. I don’t go to that many African restaurants because I just ask my dad to cook for me, but Belle Afrique is a really nice place. There’s very good Southeast Asian street food at Satay Brothers – they offer a tapas-style formula where we can try a bunch of small plates. Oh, and the food truck culture here in Montreal is also great. Every first Friday of the month, just next to the Olympic Stadium, there’s the Premiers Vendredis street food festival – I love eating the Jamaican jerk chicken patty there. The festival has themes, so one month they might have Asian trucks, for example. I really enjoy going with my friends.
Cassie Sharpe
Sport: Ski halfpipe
Current home: Squamish, B.C.
What do you crave when you’re in Vancouver?
I think it’s important to express that I’m not counting calories; I am not on a crazy diet. To do what we do and perform on demand, we’re eating, we’re fuelling ourselves. Off the top of my head, there’s a Vietnamese restaurant called Anh & Chi that I am obsessed with. Whenever I’m in Vancouver, it’s my first stop. The chicken wings: out of control. Their spring rolls: super, super good. And I always get the soup noodle bowls with punchy flavours. I’m never disappointed; I’d order anything off the menu – cocktails, coffee, food – and it’s so good. My other go-to spot is Kokomo, which is more smoothies and salads. They’ve got this hemp caesar salad with chickpeas; sometimes I just crave it and have to go find it!
Josh Morrissey
Sport: Hockey
Current home: Winnipeg
What excites you most about away games with the Winnipeg Jets?
One of the fun parts about going on the road is exploring cool restaurants around North America. We have the freedom to go out and eat with our teammates, share laughs and make memories. I’m usually one of the guys tasked with finding the restaurants, since it’s something I love to do.
Do you have any standouts in Canada?
There are a few staples on our road trips in certain cities, and in others, we try to find new places. Winnipeg is interesting. I’m not sure if it gets the respect it deserves on the culinary scene, but steakhouse-wise, 529 Wellington has been a staple of mine for a long time. Passero is fantastic. I think Pizzeria Gusto does some really creative things. In Calgary, definitely Mercato for Italian, I’ve gone a lot since I was a teenager. The seasonal fare at Liverpool House in Montreal was incredible, and we always try to get seafood in Vancouver – I really enjoy Blue Water Café.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
