Scotiabank Arena turns into giant kitchen as MLSE looks to make 10,000 meals daily

TORONTO

Scotiabank Arena, home to the Maple Leafs and Raptors, has been turned into a giant kitchen during COVID-19.

The same arena floor that saw Kawhi Leonard sink his buzzer-beater to propel the Raptors past the Philadelphia 76ers last May now houses one big food production line.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, in conjunction with its partners, is looking to prepare 10,000 meals a day to go to Toronto’s front-line health-care workers and their families as well as the city’s most vulnerable via community agencies and shelters.

MLSE is planning to run the program five days a week at least through June, delivering a half-million meals.

“It will be meaningful,” said MLSE president and CEO Michael Friisdahl, who sees the project as a way his company can fill a need in the community during troubled times.

The operation started at 2,800 meals a day and has been climbing steadily.

“We’re learning as we go,” said MLSE food and beverage VP Dan Morrow. “We learned cooking 5,000 pounds of pasta takes a long time.”

One day earlier this week, they churned out 17,000 litres of chili and a matching volume of rice with giant 120-litre cooking pots constantly on the go. Another day involved 100 litres of jerk marinade and 1,700 pounds of chicken legs.

The operation currently involves close to 20 chefs and some 50 others — MLSE managers with food experience like the general manager of e11even, MLSE’s posh restaurant located next to Real Sports bar/restaurant. The total number will ramp up to 90 workers, one third of whom will be chefs, when they hit high gear with 50,000 meals a week.

MLSE culinary director Chris Zielinski is no stranger to feeding thousands on game night, from a simple slice of pizza to a $95 striploin and $150 seafood tower.

But usually he has a much bigger crew to do it. The need for social distancing has reduced numbers.

“One thing out here, you’re going to find a lot of people are very passionate about their work,” said Zielinski. “They’re passionate about this cause.”

“This crew has just been unreal at working through all the challenges, figuring how to make the process seamless and safe,” he added.

The need for social distancing is helped by the size of the venue. The operation is currently using five kitchens, with the bulk of food being cooked in the arena’s main kitchen. They have used the Hot Stove Club, for example, to prepare and cook potatoes.

There are nine kitchens in all, with more coming into play as the number of meals climbs.

In the past, the big kitchen would be filled with 40 people. Now it’s restricted to eight.

“Normally we just pile in here and everybody’s working shoulder to shoulder. But that doesn’t work any more,” said Zielinski.