Top Chef 'breaks baguettes' with 2024 Olympic hopefuls in new series

(KXAN) — NBC Sports launched a new series called "Breaking Baguettes," allowing viewers an inside look at some of the personalities potentially competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Top Chef finalist Kevin D'Andrea hosts the series from an Austin kitchen. In the show, D'Andrea interviews some of the best athletes in the world while showing them how to make French cuisine.

In one of the episodes, D'Andrea, who is from France and now lives in Austin, taught 2020 Tokyo Olympians and University of Texas-Austin divers Alison Gibson and Hailey Hernandez how to make tartelettes.

The show intends to stretch beyond sport, showing a different side of high-level athletes that most don't get to see.

"Finding commonalities with someone that is from a different culture, a different part of the world. You can do that in so many ways and we were able to do that by sharing our stories,” Gibson said.

D'Andrea and his guests actually break bread. In the episode with Gibson and Hernandez, D'Andrea broke open a baguette to reveal a question on a piece of paper.

“Is it true you have to wait 30 minutes after eating to go in the water?” D'Andrea asked. "No!" Gibson and Hernandez responded with a laugh.

Breaking bread, or finding common ground with another, is at the show's core.

"Me sharing my food with Olympians…it's such a big thing,” D'Andrea said.

Gibson and Hernandez will compete Thursday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 3-meter individual diving event.