Feeding the pros in the NBA bubble
Local chefs give an inside look at protocols, popular meals
French-born NBA star Jaylen Hoard began his basketball career at the elite National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) in Paris, a city known for haute cuisine if ever there was, but the 6’8” forward for the Portland Trailblazers has been eating a lot of chicken wings of late. And posting about them. “Some of the best food in the bubble,” came a recent Instagram
story featuring some quick and dirty food porn from Seana’s Caribbean Soul Food (719 Good Homes Road in Orlando). Another one, more recent, featured Hoard’s postgame meal from Seana’s on the coffee table, TV blazing in the background.
“He’s gotten the same thing four times,” says Seana’s owner Joshua Johnson. “Six whole wings, salmon, yellow and white rice and sweet plantains.”
Johnson, not surprisingly, is delighted for the repeat business, both individual and teamwide. The Dallas Mavericks have placed several large orders since the NBA — likely prompted in part by sad-looking social media posts of airline-style meals inside the bubble — opened their circle to 10 local, independent purveyors. Each is minority-owned and operated.
While many restaurants
scrambled to be considered, Johnson, whose young business was recently profiled in the Orlando Sentinel, was tapped without effort.
“Apparently, in asking around about the best minority-owned restaurants, [NBA reps] kept hearing about Seana’s. They had secret eaters come in to try us and from what I understand, they enjoyed the food and then reached out to us.”
Johnson himself is unsure if that’s accurate. Along with tight guidelines and protocols for health and safety for purveyors, those we spoke with said the NBA has been tight-lipped about many things surrounding the new food-delivery service from the getgo. (Several attempts for NBA input on this story went unanswered.)
But no one’s complaining.
“It has been very tough,” says Maria Molina, owner of Sofrito Latin Café (8607 Palm Parkway in Orlando), of business since the pandemic ground everything to a halt. “We stayed open for delivery and takeout and created a special, affordable, $5.99 COVID-19 menu both to help out the community and try to keep the business operating, keep our employees working, as well.”
At the lowest point, the cafe’s business was down a staggering 80 percent. Serving customers in the bubble, a recent team order from the Milwaukee Bucks clocked in at $1,000 — has helped them edge closer to the black.
Sofrito Latin Café has also been feeding members of the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and others with their menu, which pulls from all corners of Latin American cuisine. Turns out that NBA players and staffers are no different than her other customers. Churrasco is the no. 1 order.
“We are so blessed,” she says. “It has been so scary and crazy. Everything had been getting back to normal slowly, we were probably at about 25 percent down. But with this opportunity, we are probably at about the same numbers from this time last year.”
Since opening in 2015, the café has experienced 10-15 percent growth annually.
“Right now, we don’t have that, but at least we are not under.”
What Molina is under — as well as Johnson and all those serving the bubble’s culinary needs — is scrutiny. Protocols are tight.
Seana’s has delivery drivers coming through on the reg since signing on. “On designated days, they can pick up on the hour between 5 and 9 p.m. Sofrito Café has its own driver. None of them get beyond the hotel’s drop point, not even their cooler bags.
Francisco Cortes, chef/ owner of Simple as 123 Meals, does meal drops for client Hamidou Diallo himself twice-weekly — lunches and dinners that the OKC guard can prep and finish. The two discuss meals weekly when Cortes sends menus but have never met.
“I deliver in one big insulated bag with some ice package to maintain temperature in transit,” says Cortes. Once at the drop point, it’s all business.
“I give them the bag, they take everything out, wipe all the containers down, put it in another insulated bag and go and deliver it.”
Besides clearance checks and food exchange, there’s virtually no standing around.
“They’re trying to minimize contact with anybody who’s outside as much as possible.”
Instead Diallo’s 14 meals — daily lunch and dinner — come on Monday and Thursday.
“I send menus on Friday and he’ll give me the okay on whatever he feels like eating.”
Not surprising for someone grounded in place, comfort foods are popular. Diallo enjoys gyros, po’boys, North Indian butter chicken.
“He has a very diverse palate,” says Cortes, who was referred to the position by another local chef. “I got in touch through Hami’s agent and he enjoyed his trial meals, so we’ve just taken it from there.”
It’s a win for Cortes, who’s new to the Orlando area, but not professional sports. He served as the Atlanta Braves’ team chef for two years. He still cooks for players Ender Inciarte and Ozzie Albies in the off-season.
He may be adding a few more bubble players to his cooking roster and will go through the necessary protocols if necessary, but the diversity in work is very exciting, in particular as he gets his new business off the ground.
Same goes for Johnson, who’s a comparative noob in the professional sports realm, but a longtime NBA fan who’s thrilled to be feeding players like Houston Rockets’ player P.J. Tucker and Yahoo Sports reporter/TNT commentator Chris Haynes noting that it’s a lot of pressure — but the good kind. He’s grateful for the shot.
“Trusting a small restaurant like this to do a large team order was a gamble. Luckily, we knocked it out of the park.”
Following Seana’s first order with the Dallas Mavericks, word spread quickly. Before long, LeBron James was placing one.
“Now, people are coming in and just saying, ‘Let me get what LeBron got!’”
For the record, and fans intent on stopping in, that was snapper, greens and the Liquid Gold Mac ‘n’ Cheese.