Mailbag #72: Team Performance Chef Sean Murnane

RALEIGH, NC. - An integral part of ensuring athletes can perform at their highest standard is having them well nourished.

To check that box, the Carolina Hurricanes have Team Performance Chef Sean Murnane.

This week he joined us to answer your questions about keeping the team fed.

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Who is the pickiest eater? Is there a player that you run new food ideas by for their input? How do you change things up for people that notoriously creatures of habit? - @HHandorf

Truthfully, all the guys are really open to trying new things and they love seeing new dishes/meals at post-game.

I always ask for input from the players and staff, to see what they want to eat and what they did or did not like about the previous meals. We have a few guys in the locker that are “foodies” and they always have solid feedback and suggestions, so I can take that and improve dishes or if it is a new idea, I can research it and find a way that I can adjust the recipe to make it performance or recovery appropriate.

As far as creatures of habit, that normally happens in the hours leading up to the game, so we provide the same menu for every pregame meal and the guys know where everything is and know what they are consuming to fuel their bodies for the game. But as I said earlier, post-game meals and practice day lunches are where I can really introduce players to cuisines, they may not try other places. So that is an exciting part of my job.

How closely does he work with Billy to ensure pre/post-game nutrition needs are met? With so many players admitting they don’t cook, does he help identify easy grab-and-go options at restaurants and grocery stores? -@hatfieldvmccoy

I work really closely with both [Strength & Conditioning Coach] Billy Burniston and our team Dietitian Kristin Pirigyi. We have weekly meetings to go over the menus for the following week.

We cover everything from the actual meals we will be serving, to specific player needs and the feedback we have heard around the locker room. It really is a team effort to make sure we are providing the best possible nutrition and experience for the team. Getting that feedback from the two of them is invaluable, because I can make adjustments on the fly, and it pushes me to be better every day.

Favorite meal to cook the team? - @kayteeanne3393

My answer is: if I am ever on Top Chef, I love making food that makes people happy!

My actual favorite meal to make, because I know I do it just right every time, is a Mushroom Risotto, with Braised Short Rib and Red Wine Sauce, with Grilled Asparagus.

Do you ever try cooking cultural (Finnish, Russian, Czech, etc) dishes for the foreign players? - @iloveinsilence

I do, and it is always a fun day when we can work those into the menu.

Last season, my first year with the team, I really tried to incorporate these meals around the holidays and late into the season. It is great because it brings guys a little bit of home during the longest parts of the season when they may not be able to see family. And it is great for me because it helps broaden my skill set.

I get to try things for the first time and show the team we care. We have done quite a few Finnish meals, to include Lihapullat, Kanaviiloki, along with Danish dishes like Stegt Flaesk and several Russian/Eastern European meals. It really is a pleasure to make these because the players can explain the recipes to me, I get to learn and even if it’s not just like mom used to make, you can tell the players truly appreciate the effort and they know next time it comes around, I will execute it better!

What is the most popular food that you serve to the players? - @IronCaniac

This is a good one.. and it is kind of a boring answer, but you should see the mood shift in the room when you tell the boys we are having burgers for dinner. It’s like a kid opening the present they always wanted!

However, there is a list of favorites that really make the team happy, on that short list we have any risotto dish, sweet potato puree, anything that comes with this delicious (not so humble brag) Maple Bourbon sauce I make and meatballs, the meatballs one always starts the debate of what is the true greatest meatball, Finnish or Swedish? An answer we may never know.

Is there anything that you need to get or something that works well for the guys that is extremely hard to get or find but helps the guys perform well? - @josh_holdner98

Part of this question I would say goes back to working with Kristin and Billy, they are a wealth of knowledge and provide great support when it comes to trends, keeping up with new supplements, and maintaining/building performance through food. While we all do our research, it is so helpful to be able to brainstorm with them and develop our culinary skill set to provide the best options day in and day out.

As far as finding things that are hard to get, we have a wealth of resources and our fingertips, so we can find the most obscure ingredients, it may just take a little planning and a few days to acquire, but that’s why planning is so important.

Paraphrasing some of the greats, including my long-time mentor, “poor preparation, presents poor performance” and just like the team on the ice, everyone in a support role for the players wants to be the best in the business.

How many calories do they shoot for on game days? Off days? - @CackalackDev

Caloric intake varies so widely from player to player. My job is to make sure that they have every avenue available to them to get those calories in. Whether a player is trying to lose weight, gain weight, or just recover effectively and maintain their weight.

Once you get into the thick of the season everyone is exhausted and eating seems to become a chore, which is why we want to always have new, interesting/exciting menus and we try not to repeat menus in post-game meals. We always have two different protein options whether that be beef, chicken, pork, fish, or shellfish, there is always something different.

Practice days we provide a lunch for after their skate and we have a smoothie available for easy calories in.

Plus, Billy stays on top of protein shakes for recovery and even shakes for the boys before they skate to make sure they are properly fueled and hydrated heading out onto the ice.

What's the weirdest request you've gotten? - @PapiMuffinMan / **@jerrybarajas_**

I wouldn’t say any of the requests are “weird”. They are creatures of habit and comfort and no ask is too big. It is our job to make sure they have everything they could possibly want and need.

It could be a certain kind of salad dressing at a pregame or something that started as a joke, like cutting the crust off a PB&J, that has become a ritual.

The thing about that is, I am still a Chef, still working a hospitality role and the more I can accommodate our players, the more trust you build and the more honest and open they will be with you, in the end, something that takes ten seconds, like cutting the crust off of a sandwich, it makes them happy, it lets them know you care. And at the end of the day, that simple “Hey thanks Chef” or the “Seansie, thanks for making that happen” makes all the little, seemingly tedious tasks, worth it.

Tips for home cooks on making omelets- please. Also, are there any foods “ not allowed” for the team? - @cfeath87

Being a Chef and in a performance-fueling environment, surrounded by elite athletes and staff that know and understand nutrition, we avoid telling people “You’re not allowed to have that”. These guys are working their butts off day in and day out, telling them they cannot have something sets a bad precedent.

However, we do preach timing for meals/snacks and quantity. You cannot view food or meals as a treat or a “cheat meal” because it creates an illusion that food is bad for you. So, we look at everything through the lens of: will this help them right now, will this be good for recovery, will this fuel them for tomorrow?

This, again, is why our weekly planning meetings are so important to discuss the details like “what’s happening for practice Monday and how can we have them ready for the game Wednesday?”

As for making omelets at home, there are 100 schools of thought on this subject so we can be here for five hours talking about it (trust me, I went through it) but what works for me; whisking two or three eggs really well in a bowl, make sure your pan is medium to medium-high temp, with a little pan spray or oil in it. Add your eggs to the pan, using a silicon spatula, push the edges of the egg toward the center of the pan as it starts to cook. Once you can no longer push the edges towards the middle, in comes the hard part, the flip. It is all in the wrist, using your spatula to guide it.

Tilt your pan a little bit away from you, and gently flick your wrist that is holding the pan, almost as if you are quickly turning on a light switch, with the spatula under the edge of the omelet, pull that towards you at the same time. This may be more of a video demonstration that I can share with Walt another time if he were ever to start a YouTube channel!

I'm interested in his career path and how he ended up in his current role. Also interested if he considers himself a hockey fan or if he's more into some other interest(s) primarily. - @_BOST

This is a tough one, where do I even start? I have always been around food and hospitality, my father was a Chef in the Marine Corps, and I remember countless days sitting in various kitchens “helping”, a term used very loosely there since I was maybe 5 years old at the time.

So it was more “staying occupied stirring a pot of water and out of the way”. But I could see the effort and love he put into the meals every day, to take care of his team and that built a passion for me to want to do the same one day.

I had that opportunity about 10 years ago now. I was working in a bike shop and racing long-distance (ironman) triathlons on weekends. One day I was in the shop, turning wrenches on a bike when a customer started chatting with me and to get to the point, he turned out to be the Executive Chef (EC) of the Washington Redskins and told me if I ever wanted to get back into the kitchen and start cooking again, to give him a call.

I immediately called my Dad and told him and he told me “It’s worth a shot” which kind of shocked me, since he is from NY and was a Giants fan!

I spent six years with Washington, starting as a prep cook and working my way to Sous Chef, taking in everything I could learn. When an opportunity arose to move and be the EC for Cleveland Baseball in Arizona, I took that and spent three years out there. Then in 2022, I saw the Carolina Hurricanes were hiring a new role for Performance Chef and I knew it was an opportunity I had to pursue.

I grew up playing sports, mainly hockey, also a lot of soccer since we spent time living in Belgium when I was younger (which also helped develop a love for food) but being able to take the knowledge and skills I have learned from so many people and organizations, to come to one of the best teams in the NHL was a no brainer.

My knowledge of the sport and the needs of players made the transition seamless. I knew I had come to the right place.

Once I arrived here, it was immediately noticeable we were building something great, not only is the culture of this team and organization elite, the fan base is electric and everyone makes you feel like you belong and you know you are adding value in everything you do.

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