Utah Farm & Fork caught up with Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety to talk about the Winter Olympics in Italy, along with his love of food and appreciation for a home-cooked meal. He is part of NBC's broadcast team for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games and is also helping with several committees for the upcoming Utah 2034 games.

 

Ted Ligety was born and raised in Park City, Utah, and is a four-time Olympian and two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist. Ligety won the Alpine Combined at the 2006 Torino Winter Games and the Giant Slalom at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. In addition, Ligety has won five World Championship gold medals.

 

Tell us about your family and your time growing up.

I was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Park City with my parents and my brother, Charly. I began skiing at age 2, but the kids I hung out with the most were athletic kids who all wanted to be on the Park City High School ski team and race, and I was an athletic, competitive kid, so that’s the direction I took as well. [Ted began racing at age 11].

 

Was ski racing what you always wanted to do when you grew up, or did you play other sports? I loved sports, playing some of the obvious common ones like soccer, flag football, basketball – I love the Utah Jazz – and baseball, but soccer is the one I did the longest, playing into high school. I also did some mountain bike racing. Nowadays, I have eight-year-old and five-year-old twins, and they are now on their mountain bikes, skiing, and doing all the sports. We have so many great outdoor play areas in Utah.

 

Did you have favorite things to do as a child?

A lot of our time was centered on athletics, but my parents worked long hours growing up, so the boys took over the cooking. They worked long hours, and their cooking skills were okay, so we took more of that on ourselves.

 

Tell us about the role that food played in your training and racing. Was there anything you liked to eat to stay in the best shape? 

Diet was very important. For downhill racing, you want to be on the bigger side of muscle mass. I would try to bulk up with lots of protein and veggies. We would have huge meals with steak and heavier on greens than is typical on a plate. Lots of eggs, too.  

 

Could you tell in your performance when you were doing better with eating?

The tough part about ski racing, when it comes to your diet, is that you’re staying in hotels, so your control over your diet is pretty limited. But when we could control it more, it definitely made a difference. That’s a unique thing about our sport, in that you’re never really competing at home. You’re always on the road as the away team, so my level of control wasn’t always where I wanted it to be. Ski racing is the #1 sport in Austria and Switzerland, and there is a rich culture and history surrounding it. We used to have some races here, but the timing wasn’t great for when we had our best snow. But more are coming.

Ted Ligety - Photo by Steven Kornreich

 

Being on the road and living in Europe, was there any food there that you learned to love?

We spent most of our time in Central Europe – Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, etc., and we would drive everywhere and stop at historic castles and eat some of the amazing food. 

 

Was there any food that reminded you of home or growing up (when you were on the road)? Any food that was a family favorite?

I missed the process of cooking more than any particular meals, but some of his best and worst meals I ever had were over there. We didn’t get to cook a lot, so I looked forward to that when we came home. There were a few places that could make a decent burger, but not Mexican food. I missed Mexican food the most.

 

What would you have for your last meal on earth?

Prime rib for sure.

 

If you are cooking and don’t want to cook anything fancy or elaborate, what is the basic comfort food you like to eat (no shame!)?

I do like to bake, but my favorite meal is steak and potatoes with green beans. I love a ribeye cut; that’s #1. It’s one of the simpler things to cook, but it never misses.

I also really like Asian-style fried rice, and bacon & egg sandwiches. We love breakfast for dinner, as long as there is lots of bacon. I’ve used a smoker a little but haven’t gone too deep into that.

 

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? And why? 

Some amazing places in Europe, an experiential restaurant in Auré, Sweden, that was on a Netflix show. It was more like consuming modern art than it was consuming food – and you were still hungry at the end of it. It was a cool experience, but not something I’d like to eat every day. I also had some great prime rib with horseradish and green beans. And some great bread, like a Yorkshire pudding or popover.


Have you visited a farm/ranch or farmers market in Utah (or elsewhere) before? 

We might not be the first state people think of for agriculture, but we have some great things. My kids LOVE fruit, especially when the donut peaches come – they devour those things. We really like going to farmers markets and getting fresh produce. I also really like in-season corn and berries.


You are known for your entrepreneurial efforts and for promoting access to skiing for more kids. Can you tell us about that?

I started a company called Shred Optics about 20 years ago, making goggles, helmets, and other protective equipment. I was always a tinkerer growing up, and so I wanted to see how I could give myself a competitive advantage. I also work with a company called DPS, which has a factory in downtown Salt Lake City and is one of the few ski manufacturers in the U.S.; we can have an idea on Monday and ski on them on Wednesday.

I’m also involved with a group called the Share Winter Foundation, which is a national organization that helps get kids out in the snow.

 

Do you think food can help people connect with others in a way similar to how athletics does? If so, why?

Food is very culturally connecting. Of course, you eat with other people, but it is a distinctive part of your heritage and of how you connect as a group. There are so many styles, and it helps bring people together. You share your history and where you come from, and it can teach you about other places and may even be more impactful than sports at bringing people together. I love sports, but it can be very much about one group against another – in groups and out groups, but food isn’t as much that way. It can open your eyes to new things.