Trump’s tariffs hit the Nati kitchen: Koch relies on local products

If a player from the Swiss national team the ideas He doesn’t have to worry about going out for recipes. A call to Francesco Baraldo Sano (53) is enough and you should receive a pleasant answer.

The Italian has been the Swiss national team chef for three years and has “over 2,000 recipes” under his belt, as he reveals in a detailed conversation between lunch and dinner at the national team’s Fairmont Grand Hotel in San Diego.

That the successor to Emil Bolli, who is 28 years behind him Nati stove was standing, Having ideas en masse is no coincidence. Baraldo Sano ran a restaurant and hotel in the past, worked for Serie A club Udinese and was already behind the stove for Kitzbühel winner Giovanni Franzoni.

Months of planning for the World Cup

Now he swings the wooden spoon for Switzerland – or he organizes, because that’s what a chef has to be able to do, as he explains in an interview with 20 Minutes. “To be honest, I spend a lot of time organizing myself because of all the travel,” he says. “Not just the daily meals. It’s about processing and storage of high-quality products, their origin, staff, hotel facilities, schedules.”

For the WM has the planning started months ago. Baraldo Sano was in daily contact with them until the Swiss players arrived at the hotel at the beginning of June Fairmont Grand Del Mar, where the Swiss Football Association currently resides. He is also in constant contact with the hotels in Vancouver, where the national team will still be playing.

One reason for the intensive preparations for the World Cup was the customs regulations US President Donald Trump. While it is possible to import your own edibles when traveling to Europe, the import of Swiss edibles into the USA was prohibited. “No chance. We have to rely on local products, about which we had to be well informed. This is a little more complicated, but they are very high quality. The sea bass in particular is great,” explains the Nati chef, before going on to describe it as a “superfood.”

Nati meals rely on local menus

In addition to the constant planning, Baraldo Sano cooks three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. “That’s actually just the cherry on top,” he laughs. Of course, the change in ingredients also has an impact on menu planning. “We are focusing more on what is available locally,” says Sano. The Proximity to Mexico opens up additional possibilities.

There have been no special requests from the players during his time. “The players basically eat what we prepare and are – I think – satisfied,” he says. Only Breel Embolo has a special preference (more on that here). The striker always eats spicy. «Although I don’t recommend it to athletes and athletes, nothing works without hot oil. He really needs it everywhere.”