‘6 Chefs saving the world’ is a bold title, a bold statement in general. However, we feel that when chefs with this much influence create movements like the ones we speak of below, a bold title such as this is nothing short of worthy.
So, here we go… At Your Tables ‘6 Chefs Saving the World’
Massimo Bottura
Massimo Bottura is notorious for heading the world in innovative cuisine and also holds status as one of the most socially aware chefs in the world.
In cooperation with Pope Francis, he has transformed a theatre in Milan into a ‘Refettorio’ (refectory), a soup kitchen that has turned more than 15 tons of excess food into meals for the homeless, the poor, and refugees. That’s downright amazing!
Bottura is also expanding his reach and encouraging the movement with ‘Food for Soul‘ with the concept already having reached Rio De Janiro and London.
Dan Barber
Dan Barber, “philosopher chef,” is one of the leading figures when it comes to sustainability in restaurants. His opinions on food and agricultural policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with many other publications.
Essentially, Barber wants restaurants to increase efficiency and cut down on food waste. Growing your own ingredients growing adopting a movement called “farm-to-table” is not only more sustainable but helps food taste even better!
Barber has transformed one of his restaurants in Greenwich Village, into a pop-up called ‘Wasted’. Wasted serves dishes prepared with ingredients that would normally be destined for dumpster. Think bruised and misshapen vegetables and stale bread, handled and turned into delicious fare by a culinary genius.
Alex Atala
Despite his growing fame and notoriety from position on the World’s top 50 Restaurant’s, year on year, Atala remains firmly rooted in the earth and sea.
He was recognized by the ‘Restaurant Magazine’ as one of the world’s top 10 chefs, and has been on Time magazine’s 100 most influential people list.
He’s also known for his use of local ingredients in his recipes, including sustainable seafood and rare fruits from the Amazon forest.
He’s advocated for the indigenous people of Brazil, with a focus on farmers and food producers. His famed Brazilian restaurants–D.O.M. (two Michelin stars) and Dalva e Dito (one Michelin star)—have been recognized worldwide for their emphasis on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients.
Both restaurants are Seafood Watch Partners, helping transform the marketplace in favour of sustainable seafood and ensuring that consumers make choices for a healthy ocean.
Sam Kass
Sam Kass advocates for healthier, climate smart food.
He was the first Senior White House Food Policy Advisor and served as Barack Obama’s chef. Sam Kass also led Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign, aimed at improving childhood health.
Kass was there with the Obamas planting the first vegetables at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s garden. The Obama garden brought the issues of health and food sustainability to the national news and encouraged folk at home to try their hand at growing their own veggies.
Thomasina Miers
Thomasina Miers winner of “MasterChef” in 2005 has since opened 20+ restaurants in the UK and is expanding to the US.
An enthusiastic campaigner for reducing food waste, Miers has backed “the Pig Idea,” recycling surplus food into pig feed. Miers enthusiasm comes from wanting to reduce the amount of food that’s wasted in the first place.
“The food industry is the largest, and most energy intensive industry out there – so we have the power to make positive change.” Meirs.
Anthony Bourdain
“Let us just take a moment to say Anthony, we hope you Rest in peace. You were an inspiration to me personally from a young age and you have had great influence over much of what I have done in the food world.” Author.
Bourdain is best-known as a television host who uses food in an educational capacity to study world cultures. However the Rock Star chef narrated and starred in a documentary called “Wasted! The Story of Food Waste,” which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca film festival.
The doco reveals how 40% of the food humans produce gets thrown out, the environmental ramifications of this waste, and how society can arbitrate.
Bourdain said “I’ve never liked being accused of having a social conscience or being an activist, so this documentary is not something I instinctively would have become involved in,” Bourdain narrates in the film’s introduction. “But food waste is something that I’ve always had to be conscious of as a professional. I’ve also spent the last 15 to 17 years traveling the world and seeing where all that wasted food we generate in the West could go to feed people.”