The club has launched a fun competition to encourage culinary skills and instil good eating habits in collaboration with the El Vasco restaurant
To achieve maximum sporting performance, taking care of all the details of the game isn’t enough. You also have to focus on your off-field habits. One of the most important of these is nutrition. That is why at Villarreal CF this aspect is worked on with care, under the guidelines of Héctor Usó, director of nutrition and medical services.
This season, the Yellows have come up with an original initiative called ‘Chef Groguet’. A fun culinary competition in which the players from the U19s (Juvenil A) and Villarreal C took part. The aim of this initiative was to create a space where the youth players could become aware of the importance of eating healthily and become autonomous in the management and preparation of their food.
“We have been running food workshops with the boys who have already left the residence for several years. But this year we decided to go a step further and implement this initiative,’ explains Paula Roig, a member of the U19s and Villarreal C coaching staff. She saw this project as an opportunity to help the young talents in their important transition from the residence to their own flats.
While the aim of the ‘Chef Groguet’ was to help the academy prospects improve their skills in the kitchen, it has also helped to generate a great atmosphere in the team: “The idea is that they improve in the kitchen and are able to make healthy dishes with natural and quality ingredients, but we have also created a 2-3 hour space where bonds are generated, there is teamwork and cohesion. It strengthens the group on a human level. It is important.”
The initiative has lasted four months. Both Villarreal C and the U19s JuvenilA have been divided into groups of approximately ten people and have competed against each other every Thursday since October. The scoring system assessed five aspects of the dishes: how healthy they were, their presentation, the degree of elaboration, the teamwork and, of course, the taste of their culinary proposals.
The entire competition has had the invaluable support of El Vasco restaurant, a long-time partner of Villarreal CF. Chef Asier Manzanos has lent the kitchens of his old premises during the whole dynamic.
He even hosted the grand final in his new restaurant located in the Estadio de la Cerámica, in the presence of all the Villarreal C and U19 players.
The big event recently pitted a group from the U19s, made up of Unai Rodríguez, Carlo Viso, Jorge Casañ, César Bonafé and Pedro Luque, against another from Villarreal C, captained by Joan Ruiz and made up of Toni Tamarit, Vique Gomes and Mario Gil. The culinary contest went in favour of the younger players, although the final verdict, issued by five members of different departments of the club, was very close. “In the end, the differential factor was that the rice was tastier than the other group’s, but they were both at an impressive level,” says Paula Roig.
The winners will be treated to a tasting menu at El Vasco restaurant, while the runners-up did not leave empty-handed. They watched a Villarreal match in one of the most exclusive areas of the Estadio de la Cerámica.
After the success of the ‘Chef Groguet’ initiative, Villarreal CF has already planned a second edition. Although in this one, the participants will be the boys who still live in the residence. Great fun while learning is guaranteed to accompany the boys in this fun culinary adventure.
