A West Midlands native is literally feeding hungry Wolves. Melissa Forde is the performance chef at Premier League Club, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Forde, who is of Jamaican heritage, leads the catering team for the first team squad, both at Compton Park on a daily basis and on the road all over the country.
Forde was a Football Black List awardee and was also was nominated as Wolves’ ‘No Room For Racism icon‘, showcasing the importance of diversity on and off the pitch, and in the past has embraced the club’s Black History Month celebrations by providing unique dishes honouring Black backgrounds to players and staff.
Here she talks to Voice Online about some of her life and career…
RH: Tell me how the post at Wolves came about
MF:I came across the job during in 2021, around the COVID lockdown period. I had been made redundant from a previous executive chef role, and I was also on maternity leave. So, I took my leave, but needed to get back into work, as I have two children and I needed something that was going to fulfil my career ambitions but also enabled me to provide for my family as well.
There’s an oxtail dish that we do as well, which they love
What does the job entail on a day-to day and weekly basis?
I am tasked with heading up the nutritional fuelling of a Premier League football team/squad and supporting the academy lead chef within the same role for the academy teams.
Typically what are you cooking for the players?
Typically I plan the meals alongside a nutritionist on a weekly menu, focusing on periodisation; when are they training? When are they recovering? What is a high load day? What is a lighter day? And when do they need to prepare for their games? From there, I devise menus with a variety of aspects, what is in season, flavour pairings, suitable accompaniments, players’ favourite meals, and where can we incorporate their culture as well as macronutrients they need- how much carbohydrate do they need to intake on that day, how much protein do they need to intake, and any additional support to aid recovery, say, from injury, what does that look like for that player and how do we support that. All of those things are added into what I create as a menu.
Explain how you work with the nutritionist
We work cohesively. He will give the information of the training plan then I will then do the chef bit, where I will devise a menu, thinking about what foods are high with that macronutrient, and how do I prepare that into something that the players want to eat sometimes multiple components to ensure that they are fuelled well enough from it.
Are you a football fan or are you too busy for that?
I think I follow football, probably because I’m so immersed in it but I always want us to win. I’ve always liked football. I used to like a little kick about at school, I always wanted to join in with the boys but that wasnt always invited and not many girls played at my school.
Bearing in mind your Caribbean roots, do you add a bit of spice to the players’ menu from time to time?
It just depends on what they like. For example, we did a barbecue while we were in Portugal during pre-season and I did some jerk chicken on that trip, it had just had to happen! I took my spices and jerk seasoning. I was ready.
Normally, if I do jerk chicken at the training ground, I’ll go quite mild with it, but I took advantage of the barbecue, and I put the whole jar in! And to be fair, a lot of the players were like, ‘Why don’t you do it like that at home?’ I replied ‘Because not everyone likes the heat.’ The food we produce is inclusive.
I do stewed beef frequently, I use all the flavours of Caribbean food, but I use cuts that aid their recovery. If I wanted it to be on a dish for matchday minus one, for example, I would use a leaner cut of beef for it, using a brisket, or something like that. Or if I needed it for recovery, I think about collagen, which is for muscle.
There’s an oxtail dish that we do as well, which they love, I do traditional Jamaican oxtail. Or I do a Mexican style, so we put in the Mexican spices and things like and then serve that with some salsa and some tacos.
I take typical cuts, flavours, marinades, spices, and I incorporate all of that into the food. I pay attention to what the players ask for and like and as long as it fits in with the periodisation, we will cook it or source it. I’ll do brown stew chicken. One of my players loves a brown stew chicken burger.
I feel really proud that I can promote so much of my heritage, while at the same time satisfy many cultural desires. It’s no all Jamaican food. I just use typical styles and influences when we prepare food and put that into producing Colombian, Mexican, Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish, Scandinavian and African.
Everything’s always done with their culture and respect in mind but always tailored to be suitable for a high performance athlete.
AWARD WINNER: Melissa Forde at the Football Black List
Where were you cooking before joining Wolves?
I was executive chef at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre. I was running the catering operation there, which was the hospitality, the restaurant, circle restaurant and coffee bar. Prior to that I’ve worked at hotels across the Midlands.
I think I’ve utilized all of those skills I’ve learned over the years to then create a package that has made me so unique to this operation within football.
My husband supports me in absolutely everything
Was your mum your cooking inspiration?
Yes. I always watched my mum. I’d always watch her cook, how she did things, how she’d clean the meat, how she’d season, how she’d prepare for the week.
As kids, you don’t want to go to the market, but you’d see the plan, she was always planning for the week. She’d go to the market, she’d buy fish and chicken.
You’d get soup on Saturday; everything was just traditional. Jamaican through and through when it came to food, so I’d always pay attention to everything that she did. I remember when I was 12, my mum had the flu. We got home from school, and I thought ‘I’ll make dinner because mom needs to eat.’
I took mum the plate of food, and she was like, ‘Who cooked?’ because Dad was at work, and I told her it was me and she was so proud and thankful because she didn’t have the energy. I fed my younger sister, my dad came home, there was food. I think that was my first experience of cooking dinner. I think just that culture of in the home and knowing it. My career aspirations were to join the military. I really wanted to do medicine but that didn’t work out for me, and it was a big disappointment.
I loved cooking and developing recipes and tormenting my mum with what ingredients I took from the cupboard. I think I was always just trying to find a way to be creative.
How did it feel to be recognized at the Football Black List awards ceremony in April?
I was so proud after being nominated, by a colleague. I feel so proud for my family. My husband has always been in awe of me, my drive, my passion. He’s my biggest cheerleader, and I love that he supports me in this, because it’s not always easy. We have 2 children as well.
My husband supports me in absolutely everything. So, to be able to celebrate that evening with him and just amazing. To see the pride on his face was fantastic, the whole family are really proud of what I’m doing and what I have achieved.
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