It's cold baked beans versus panini power

By Suzanne McFadden

The Team New Zealand crew do their own breakfast washing-up before they go out to defend the America's Cup. Luna Rossa's sailors are fed by chefs who serve three meals a day in a ballroom.

The gulf between the culinary habits of Prada and Team New Zealand is as wide as feast is to famine.

The Italian sailors eat paninis and cheeses before a race. Some of the Kiwi guys spoon cold baked beans from the can.

The head of Prada, Patrizio Bertelli, is passionate about food - he sees it as a major part of an America's Cup campaign.

Prada have three fulltime chefs - two who have come from Italy and a Kiwi, Mark Halliday.

They have transformed the ballroom on the top floor of the Heritage Hotel into an Italian restaurant for the team.

Only Luna Rossa crew eat breakfast there - focaccia bread, scrambled eggs and ham, and fresh fruit.

Dinner is served for two hours for the entire team and their families - sometimes 150 diners.

Pasta, the staple dish of Italy, is always on the menu. One of the challenge's official suppliers is a small pasta company in Tuscany, near Mr Bertelli's hometown.

"It's quite a large part of the Italian culture to eat well," said Prada spokeswoman Allessandra Ghezzi.

"The crew don't have a special diet, but they take care with what they eat.

"We are eating better here than we do at home - it's better than your own mother's cooking."

The chefs also prepare packed lunches for the crew - pasta or paninis - which they eat on the tow to the racecourse.

As Luna Rossa crosses the finish line, a support boat brings the crew food for the trip home.

The guys on Team New Zealand, on the other hand, bring their own lunches. The grinders often take their own can-openers, to eat baked beans and tuna.

They all eat breakfast together at the base - Weetbix and toast - and there's a roster to see who does the dishes before the boats leave.

Everyone goes home for dinner, though on special occasions there will be a pizza and beer night at the base.