Step into LSU’s Performance Nutrition Center at lunchtime, and you’re sure to hear chatter from employees manning stations and football players cracking jokes.

Soon, the clanking of silverware hitting dishes signals that diners are close to becoming members of the happy plate club. And why wouldn’t they? Every day brings a different menu, meeting the nutritional wants and needs for student athletes.

Think: fajita bowls, marinated pork tenderloins, hearty soups, a packed fruit bar and more.

“I look at the student athletes as an extension of my family.”

—Performance Nutrition Center Executive Chef Michael Johnson

Unveiled back in 2019, the Performance Nutrition Center’s organizers say it’s less about building the tastiest plate and more about building up healthy eating habits. Teams work with dietitians to establish health goals, meal plans and recovery needs. Then, the facility’s chefs and cooks create fresh lineups that hit all the marks.

At the helm is Executive Chef Michael Johnson, whose previous employers include the Seattle Seahawks and food and beverage provider Centerplate, where he prepped spreads in Missouri for the Kansas City Chiefs and in Vancouver for ceremonies during the 2010 Olympics.

LSU brought Johnson on board when the center debuted. On an average day, find him making his rounds at the dining hall’s serving stations.

Known to the students as “The Tiger Chef” or just “Chef,” he tries to be as sustainable as possible in the kitchen and aims to utilize locally sourced ingredients.

Of course, practices and training are vital for competition. But nutrition is equally important. Just ask Johnson, who preps omega-3 heavy, anti-inflammatory dishes for recovery. Above all, he works to create meals that are mindful of student-athletes’ health.

After a big LSU Football game? A brunch-style victory meal is vital, regardless of the final score.

“In a nutshell, food is medicine. Your body doesn’t recover at its maximum potential unless you’re putting all the nutrients that it’s craving in there,” he says.

Beyond the food lines, Johnson and his team educate athletes with cooking demos and easy-to-follow recipes for their non-Performance Nutrition Center meals. Johnson says it’s important to meet the students on their level. He’ll meet players on their own turf or work with teams for their own menu takeovers at the Performance Nutrition Center.

“A large piece of what we do here is we’re trying to teach young minds how to eat healthier,” he says. “You catch a man a fish, you feed him for a day. You teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. And we’re trying to feed people for a lifetime.”

While all 20-plus teams get attention, Johnson admits football requires some extra focus as fall kickoff approaches, thanks to the size of the team and its caloric needs.

Over the years, Johnson has built a rapport with players. He thumbs through pics in his camera roll of him smiling with stars like Joe Burrow and Rashard Lawrence. Johnson says he starts connecting with players during recruitment. By senior year, they’re influencing incoming freshman players to open up to him about needs and food insecurities.

“One of my football guys from 2019 came back two or three months ago, and it was like seeing one of my kids,” Johnson says. “I look at the student-athletes as an extension of my family. And for the parents, I empathize with them because they’re trusting me with their kids and their livelihoods or their nutritional needs.”

Once the clock runs out on football, or as other teams prep for big matchups, Johnson and his team reprioritize.

“The athletics administration has been very adamant, and I wholeheartedly agree, that this is about all sports. Football is a big driver here, and (LSU is) a football school, but it’s also a women’s basketball school. It’s a baseball school. And, you can’t go without those other sports,” Johnson says. “They’re monsters, and so we celebrate them all.”

LSU’s student-athletes have hungry eyes for game wins, championships and NIL deals—but they couldn’t do it all without full stomachs first.