Baby, it's cold outside: The setting in Sochi, Russia, where Behind the Scenes warmed up clients including the NBC Olympics broadcast team, Canadian Broadcast Consortium, NBC News, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Olympic Commitee and Omega/Swiss Timing.
BTS president and managing director John Crisafulli takes a spin between work stints. He arrived in Sochi three months ahead of the start of the games to arrange catering operations.
BTS put some 322 employees to work, including chefs, utility staff, venue managers, warehouse packers, delivery drivers, logistics experts, accounting staff and travel managers, representing American, Australian, Irish, Scottish and Dutch professionals.
Welcome from BTS! The BTS team served 10 Olympics competition venues, one international broadcast center and two Olympic Park hospitality pavilions. Because the Sochi site offered virtually no outside dining options, the BTS crew had its hands full.
Foodservice started on Oct. 15, 2013, and ended on March 21, 2014. BTS served some 4,300 guests each day.
And so it begins ... BTS wound up serving 270,900 meals total.
A welcome sight: Starbucks coffee! BTS served 61,500 Starbucks coffee drinks and 88,200 Starbucks lattes and cappuccinos.
The BTS team dished up some 81,000 French pastries.
Some 4,450 pounds of imported cheeses tantalized guests.
Would you dine in Russia with caviar? Nyet!
A view of the dining area.
Dramatic windows showcase the Olympic venues.
A prep area. Because the Sochi area offered so few outside options to buy food, the BTS team had to bring in virtually all foodstuffs.
The BTS team operated a central kitchen and warehouse inside the Olympic Park Coastal Cluster, plus seven venue site kitchens.
And the sun sets over Sochi. But the BTS team is already getting ready to cater the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which will be the company's ninth Olympics.
