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We’re nearing Boston’s busiest time of year, and it’s time to get inspired ahead of the Boston Marathon.
You’ve probably seen our Why I’m Running series — and if you haven’t, I highly recommend diving into it before Marathon Monday. My favorite thing about the marathon is that it brings all walks of life together, whether you’re running or cheering from the sidelines. The race spans multiple Massachusetts communities, and participants come from all over the world, each bringing their own story to the race.
Even some of Boston’s most acclaimed chefs, such as George Mendes, executive chef at Amar in Raffles, are running in the world’s oldest annual marathon.
A little bit about Mendes: He used to run Aldea, a Michelin-starred, modern Portuguese restaurant in New York that put him on the map. He closed the restaurant in 2020 and ended up in Boston three years later, running the kitchen of the Portuguese fine-dining restaurant on the 17th floor of the luxurious Raffles hotel.
He may be new to calling Boston home, but it isn’t his first time running the marathon. He participated in 2018, a year with highs (a Desiree Linden win!) and lows (the temperature, to be exact).
But Mendes, a running enthusiast, tells me that this year will be a special one. For one, running in a major marathon that takes place in his community makes it even more meaningful to Mendes — he lived in New York at the time he ran his first Boston Marathon. This year he also gets the chance to run for Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The below conversation with Mendes has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Katelyn Umholtz: You’ve run the Boston Marathon before. Tell me about your experience.
Mendes: The first experience running the Boston Marathon was in 2018. I was expecting to go to Boston in April, and it’d be springtime weather. Well, it was cold, freezing rain, and wind. The Boston Marathon introduction was pretty brutal, to say the least. But there was no way in heck I was going to throw in the towel and not do it. For the first 10 miles, I ran in a garbage bag slash fly-fishing jacket.
What food do you eat when prepping for the marathon?
I carb up with a lot of bread daily and then plenty of pasta (Coppa or Bar Mezzana). I mix in a lot of salad-type dishes with added proteins and grains such as quinoa, salmon, and avocado (Sweetgreen). Lastly, lots of sushi (Shore Leave).
What are you eating and drinking after the marathon?
I take a long shower followed by stretching and foam rolling, during which I’ll order delivery — most likely a loaded burger (Black Lamb) and then plenty of flavored sparkling water and electrolytes.
Why’d you choose Make-A-Wish to fundraise for this year?
Make-A-Wish Foundation is an organization that we’ve supported at Amar. For two winter seasons, we’ve done gingerbread workshops with their kids. The more I learned about the charity and the impact I can make and donations can make, you’re putting smiles on these kids’ faces that have critical illnesses by granting them their wishes.
We ask this of everyone, but why are you running?
[Running] is a really special thing for me that I picked up right around 2015. Being a chef and burning the candle on both ends, running is an outlet for fitness and clarity. It’s really changed my life and outlook on how to continue being a chef with sustainability — sustain the long hours and lifestyle, while having a family on top of it all. Running for me is time alone. It’s meditative.
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What I’m eating: Deviled burrata from Spoke
Fun fact: I’m a long-time fan of the deviled egg. Blame it on my Southern roots. I like them classic, I’ll eat them topped with caviar or sriracha, and I’ll still leave happy even if it costs me $10 for one egg. I’ll try it even when it’s not really a deviled egg, but some clever interpretation, like a dish that swaps the egg out for a glob of creamy cheese. Spoke’s deviled burrata had all the makings of a fine deviled egg — the yolk, mayonnaise, a generous peppering of paprika — on a bed of celery and parsley, and notably without a halved egg. And that’s fine, I’m also a fan of burrata.
— Katelyn Umholtz
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