What does it take to feed a professional sports team? A lot more than a postgame buffet.
On this episode of Skin in the Game, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei welcome Toronto native Jennifer Gibson, co-founder and CEO of Elite Eats and head of performance nutrition for the Chicago Blackhawks. Drawing on her work in Olympic sport, the NFL and the NHL, Gibson explains how nutrition has become part of the pursuit of a competitive edge.
From fueling and recovery to coordinating meals on planes and in hotels, she takes listeners inside a job that combines science, education and logistics. She also shares how the challenges of arranging team meals led her to co-found Elite Eats, a catering marketplace built for professional sports teams.
The conversation explores the different demands of football and hockey, the pressures athletes face around body image and personal branding, and opportunities in the growing field of sports nutrition. Gibson closes with a simple approach to everyday eating that she calls “first generation foods.”
