PHNOM PENH—Filipino athletes staying at the Sports Village of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games are the beneficiaries of the nutritional delights that celebrity chef Bruce Lim has been dishing out.
So how about those staying outside the village?
“No worries,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who announced that food and other nutritional needs of the athletes who don’t have access to the games’ Mess Hall will be delivered to their hotels or competition venues.
Nutrition is one issue that has become less of a concern for the Filipino athletes doing battle here.
That’s because chef Bruce has been given more influence in the preparation and serving of the food at the games’ dining hall.
Lim said he stays at “the background” with his seven-man team of Filipino chefs working 24/7 with their local counterparts “to make sure we serve the best food for all the athletes.”
The round-the-clock work, according to Lim, includes drafting the daily menus, preparing the ingredients and special requests from a particular group of athletes, plus the actual cooking.
Lim said jiu-jitsu and other combat sports athletes from Team Philippines have requested low-sodium meals for their athletes, who are maintaining a desired weight in their divisions.
“All food we serve are halal certified, so they can serve everyone, especially Muslim athletes,” he said.
Putting a premium on the nutritional needs of Filipino athletes, Tolentino tapped the services of Lim, born and raised in the US, who became popular through the Asian Food Channel, where he has a show. Lim also served as an executive chef during the Philippines’ SEA Games hosting in 2019.
Here, he will be serving the 804 athletes seeing action in the Cambodia Games which will run until May 17.
Majority of delegates will be housed at the newly built Sports Village, which has a total of 12 buildings and more than 4,000 beds.