New Delhi, Aug. 17: Delicacies from six regions of the world; paranthas, mutter paneer and gajar ka halwa to suit the Indian taste buds, a whopping 41,000 kgs of meat, noodles from Singapore and vegemite from Australia — these are some of the things that the Australia-based North Delaware has on the platter for the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Caterers for the Games Village, the company is putting in long hours to handle one of the most crucial aspects of the Games — meals for over the 10,000 participating athletes and officials.

Over a 15-day period in which the Village will have its highest occupancy level, the catering team will serve a total of 350,000 meals to the athletes, officials, work force and volunteers. Another 80,000 meals will be served in the lead up to the games period.

Said Mark Thomas, manager corporate social responsibility for North Delaware Companies, from Australia, “Our extensive menu will cater to the different nationalities participating in the Commonwealth Games.”

“The majority of ingredients have been sourced locally apart from those speciality items required to retain the authenticity of an international dish and which are not locally produced in such large quantities, such as fresh eggs, noodles from Singapore and vegemite from Australia,” added Thomas.

Adept at handling events of such magnitude — North Delaware catered at the 2006 Melbourne Games and is a regular at the Australian Open tennis — the company has planned a mix of international foods selected from as many as six regions to cater to athletes of as many as 71 countries.

“The menu will include cuisine from Malaysia, Africa, India, Italy and a few western nations,” Thomas said.

Of the Indian delicacies on offer, the company received a “special request” from the authorities here to have on tap experts in six main dishes — paranthas, makhani daal, shahi kofta curry, mutter paneer and gajar ka halwa.

Asked how a company went about preparing for an event of this extent, Thomas explained, “The process can take upwards of two years including planning and implementation.”

“Detailed planning is a significant component of delivering a successful event along with the necessary experience in delivering events of this nature and magnitude.”

“An understanding of the size and scope of the event with the ability to anticipate and understand customers needs, flexibility to deal with items out of the norm whilst delivering to the expected standards and discipline in working to timelines.”

The company has sub-contracted the Taj group (India), whose knowledge of Indian cuisine is something they are relying heavily on.

“The Taj group has made a strong contribution to the implementation of the plan and their local knowledge and resources have been a welcome addition to the experience and resources of the Delaware North Companies Australia,” Thomas added.

Food court
* Total contract: Rs 33 crores
* Total number of meals: 350,000 meals during October 3 to 14; 80,000 meals will be served in the lead up to the entire games period.
* Fresh egg, noodles from Singapore and vegemite from Australia.
* Estimate of basic items:
41,000 kg of meat
46,000 yoghurt packs
67,000 kg of fruit
5,800 kgs crushed tomatoes
2,400 kgs dried pasta
13,000 kgs rice