Who is Marie Soria?
In the shadow of Rafael Nadal's backhand and Novac Djokovic's forehand, a brigade of 250 cooks orchestrated by a talented chef, Marie Soria, is active underground, under the tennis courts of Roland Garros. Sunny, sporty figure, hair pinned in a bun, this Frenchwoman, as comfortable behind the stove as in sneakers, is not her first attempt. In position for 30 years, she officiates for each of the major sporting events (Football World Cup, rugby, Olympic menu in 2024, etc.) and global cultural events, serving Potel & Chabot.
Like every year, like a high-level athlete, Marie Soria prepared, for the Roland-Garros tournament, her climbs to the net, by organizing herself. “Everything is taken care of, regulated, anticipated mentally and sportingly, down to the smallest details, a year in advance: validation of the sweet and savory lunch and dinner menus, choice of responsible producers, cooking times, etc.”. If the chef has carte blanche to write her recipes, with orders for products in quantities that sometimes make her dizzy, no improvisation is possible at this level of volumes and gastronomic demands. In fact, all the tables in the three dining areas that make up “Roland” (the central one, the lodges and the village) have in common the same menu (starter, main course, dessert) signed by his hand. “Everything must be fantastic at a time when the major accounts meet during the fortnight.” In this sense, everything is thought out in advance to facilitate the final cooking finishes, dishes prepared at night in Paris in Potel's laboratories, on site. “A collegial job,” Marie recognizes, “and all the more sporting,” she admits, “as the ephemeral teams at Roland don’t necessarily know each other.” United in performance, they share the same dream of living, “from the employee, to the star chef of palaces around the world, the experience of this sporting event of international reputation”. An experience as “exciting as it is complex, in terms of logistics and traffic flow between the three kitchen spaces” which does not frighten our kitchen marathon runner whose steps on her watch insolently display 25 km per day!
On the plates, it's a festival of color and balance over the fortnight! Lots of vegetables, modernity and great precision. With a vegan alternative and nutritionally balanced dishes for former athletes who happily come to sit down. For dessert, the MOF pastry chef, Marc Rivière, lines up with grace and delight. A tournament as sporting as it is culinary, in which Marie Soria relishes the chance to be part of every day and which passionately continues to make her eyes sparkle.
© Yannick Labrousse
10 cool and easy chef ideas for a successful summer aperitif
Ceviche shuttle
In advance, marinate fish cut into ceviche (tuna, sea bass, salmon, etc.) for 1 hour in an oil bath with lemon, salt and Espelette pepper. 1 hour before the guests arrive, place the slice of ceviche in a sheet of sucrine, with a touch of mayonnaise seasoned with a little lemon juice for the acidic side and season with fleur de sel!
Quirky, veal bruschetta
Slice bread into rounds and toast them in the oven at 100°C until crispy. Pour a drizzle of olive oil with lemon juice, a little salt and grated parmesan. At the last moment, serve with a piece of raw veal fillet marinated with a little lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. It's ready !
A hummus that will make you blush with pleasure
Mix crushed tomatoes with cooled eggplant puree and dip – to vary the textures – with different chips (chips, breadsticks, etc.) and vegetables (endive leaves, radishes, carrots, etc.) previously prepared in different bowls for create a pretty table.
An easy servant!
On a server, arrange all the chips by color (carrot chips, beetroot, sweet potato, etc.) and the dip bowls all around.
Creamy green gazpacho
Cook zucchini cut into sections in water. Reserve the cooking water. Blend the vegetables and add the cooking water until you obtain a velvety texture. Add candied lemon (100g of lemon for 1kg of soup). Serve very cold.
Refreshing, cold carrot soup
Cook sliced carrots in water. Reserve the cooking water. Mix the carrots and add the cooking water with lemon juice, salt, pepper and a drop of olive oil. Serve in pretty cups.
Red dingue, strawberry verbena soup
Blend strawberries into soup and infuse fresh verbena. Serve with a small madeleine or a warm homemade financier or from the baker.
A spicy tabbouleh that changes
Cook the semolina in a fragrant bath of ras el hanout and turmeric powder with a stock cube and a little olive oil. In another pan, cook vegetables of your choice cut into small pieces. Sprinkle your semolina with this vegetable mixture and serve with crushed fresh herbs (parsley, mint, coriander, etc.). Serve cold in bodega glasses and dress at the last moment with shreds of canned tuna and a drizzle of olive oil.
Asparagus and cherries, an insolent marriage
Cook the asparagus in water. Cut them into small pieces of half a centimeter and reserve the asparagus stems. Mix the sections with a sauce made of olive oil, grated parmesan, small black olives from Nice and candied lemon cut into small pieces. Arrange in the bottom of the salad bowl and serve with parmesan shavings, asparagus stems and cherries on top. The cherry asparagus pairing is fabulous! A recipe to use with pieces of apricots or peaches, all summer long!
Pea soup without bacon
Cook peas in a water bath and in another saucepan, rhubarb. Allow 100g of rhubarb for 500g of peas. Cut the rhubarb finely into small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and first-pressed olive oil. Add them, replacing bacon with peas, to counterbalance their sweet side. Serve cold or hot.
Bubbles on ice
Shake, (white) champagne is drunk on ice with a slice of lime!
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Discover the recipe for Sucrines with shrimp and marinated grilled vegetables
