It’s hard to understand, but according to the World Wildlife Fund, the world has lost 66 percent of its biodiversity in the past 50 years. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization notes that nine species now account for 66 percent of global crop production. However, research shows that various crops are more resilient to climate change, pests, and disease while also supporting soil health and wildlife thriving. To protect biodiversity and the environment, chefs around the world highlight ingredients from their local communities.
“Diversifying our diet is key. We have to get out of this limited number of crops that we eat, ”Pierre Thiam, head chef at NOK by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria, told Food Tank. “We are victims of it. Our health suffers as a result. Our planet and our environment are suffering as a result. “
By including biodiversity on their menu, chefs can send a message that a varied diet is good for people and the planet. Here are 16 talented chefs who strive to promote biodiversity in their restaurants and communities.
1. Alex Atala, Brazil
Alex Atala, head chef at the renowned DOM restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil, introduces the flavors of the Amazon to the international culinary community. He uses Brazil’s enormous biodiversity to create his dishes. Atala also launched ATÁ, an institute that works to heal the relationship between people and food by promoting awareness and appreciation for local ingredients. ATÁ works to preserve these ingredients while supporting the people who depend on their diet.
2. Peggy Chan, Hong Kong
After founding Hong Kong’s plant-based restaurant, Grassroots Pantry, Peggy Chan continues to advocate organic sourcing, biodiversity conservation and food system reform. In 2019, Chan transformed Grassroots Pantry into Nectar, a high-end restaurant serving locally sourced food. She also launched The Pollen Lab, a culinary education platform on sustainable practices. She was the keynote speaker at the Global Wellness Summit and was nominated for the Basque Culinary World Prize.
3. Sabyasachi Gorai, India
After discovering that many of India’s indigenous grains were being destroyed in favor of Basmati rice production, Sabyasachi Gorai began his mission to conserve India’s vast rice biodiversity. The chef and entrepreneur works specifically with millet – a grain native to India – and believes it plays a central role in maintaining India’s biodiversity. Its signature recipes, which include black olive millet and millet cranberry ladoo, make the ingredient popular as a nutritious and flavorful grain alternative.
4. Kylie Kwong, Australia
Kylie Kwong is an Australian chef, restaurateur, television presenter and writer. As the third generation Chinese-Australian, she opened her first restaurant, Billy Kwong, in a suburb of Sydney in 2000. Until it closes in 2019, the restaurant has committed to using only organic and biodynamic food. It received the first sustainability award from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for its environmental initiatives. Kwong’s goal is to gradually educate her customers and teach them to use local and sustainable ingredients. She sees chefs as guardians of biodiversity and works closely with members of the Australian indigenous community to ensure respect for the land.
5. Ali Mandhry, Kenya
Ali Mandhry, better known as Chef Ali L’artiste, is a Kenyan chef and television personality. He is Kenya’s Chief Global Ambassador and a partner in the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s Recipe For Change campaign. This effort underscores the need for smallholders to adapt to climate change and protect their food security. Mandhry campaigns for Kenya’s local, plant-based ingredients, including sorghum, which is known for its high protein content and low water absorption.
6. Enrique Olvera, Mexico
The number of varieties of corn – each with their own tastes, history, and farming practices – is shrinking in Mexico. But Enrique Olvera, the owner of Pujol in México City, wants to change this. As a passionate advocate of the preservation of tradition and biodiversity, Olvera wants to document the knowledge about corn and prevent it from disappearing. In 2017 he organized the Biodiversidad Symposium in México, where cooks discussed their role in maintaining biodiversity. He also works directly with indigenous communities who grow endangered foods and whose products are on his menu.
7. Christian Puglisi, Denmark
Christian Puglisi is a Danish chef and owner of several restaurants in Copenhagen, including the only Michelin-starred organic restaurant, Relæ. He advocates the biodiversity of food and founded the Farm of Ideas, a small farm that supplies food to Pugalisi restaurants. The farm is a place for chefs, scientists, farmers and entrepreneurs to collect and exchange ideas about sustainability and biodiversity in the culinary industry.
8. Sean Sherman, United States
The Sioux Chef is an organization founded in 2014 by chef, entrepreneur, and food educator Sean Sherman. The non-profit is addressing the health and economic crisis that indigenous communities are facing by restoring traditional food. Before colonization, indigenous communities had a thriving food system with a wide variety of agrobiodiversity. Sherman is working to restore awareness of indigenous food systems and protect biodiverse ingredients. He is the recipient of the 2018 James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook for The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen.
9. Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Thailand
Chef, environmentalist and restaurateur Bo Songvisana opened Bo.Ian in Bangkok in 2008. The restaurant initiated a movement toward traditional techniques of contemporary Thai cuisine while promoting the use of ethical, local ingredients. It is Songvisana’s mission to protect and share the culinary heritage of Thai cuisine while using a diverse range of ingredients. She is also a supporter of the Slow Food movement, which is focused on protecting the food heritage and supporting the biodiversity of local plants and animals.
10. Mariana Tejerina, Argentina
Mariana Tejerina is the head chef at the Argentine Catalino in Buenos Aires. She and her sister Raquel Tejerina are committed to strengthening food sovereignty in Argentina and ask their customers to think about where their food is coming from. Argentina is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, a status threatened by deforestation. The Tejerina sisters encourage their customers to eat more vegetables and legumes and ensure that all animal products served in the restaurants are traceable and ethically produced.
11 and 12. Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, Peru
Martínez and León are the couple behind Central in Lima, Peru. The Central team sources ingredients directly from indigenous communities and travels to the Andes and Amazonas four times a month to learn more about the diversity of native plants and animals. The couple also created Mater Iniciativa to research and experiment new ingredients. Martínez speaks often about protecting biodiversity and is an important part of the culinary community that is switching to local cuisine.
13. Pierre Thiam, Senegal
Pierre Thiam, who grew up in Senegal and lives in New York City, is a chef, writer, and activist best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global gourmet world. He is the head chef at NOK by Alara in Lagos Nigeria, the head chef at the Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal, and the owner of Teranga in New York City. He is also the co-founder of Yolélé Foods, a company that helps smallholders in the Sahel by opening up new markets for crops grown in Africa. He also gave a TED talk on Fonio, an ancient grain native to Senegal that he believes has the potential to transform societies in West Africa.
14. Selassie Atadika, Ghana
After discovering a lack of biodiversity in many modern Ghanaian dishes, Atadika set out to promote what she calls New African Cuisine. She founded Midunu, a nomadic private dining company in Accra, Ghana that uses seasonal, local ingredients and highlights plant-based dishes. Before she became a cook, Atadika worked with the United Nations in humanitarian efforts for a decade. She is an expert on sustainability, biodiversity and African foodways and encourages people to vote with the fork and see the connection between politics and food.
15. Marsia Taha, Bolivia
Head chef at Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia, Marsia Taha has made it his mission to celebrate Bolivian identity and culture through gastronomy. Gustu uses a kilometer zero philosophy, which means that every ingredient used in the restaurant is produced in the country. Taha is also the co-founder of Sabores Silvestres, an organization focused on preserving biodiversity, promoting Bolivian gastronomy and preserving the food heritage. As a partner of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Bolivia, the organization brings together cooks, scientists and journalists for culinary expeditions to the remote ecosystems of Bolivia. Here they discover ingredients and exchange traditions with indigenous communities.
16. Erik Oberholtzer, USA
Eric Oberholtzer is a chef, food activist, and social entrepreneur, and a co-founder of Los Angeles-based Tender Greens. The company’s mission is to break stereotypes about healthy eating by offering seasonal foods at affordable prices. Oberholtzer started the Spice of Life Project in collaboration with Crop Trust, an international organization that works for food security, the preservation of plant diversity and the reduction of environmental damage. As the champion of Food Forever, he believes chefs have the power to bring biodiverse ingredients into people’s everyday lives in delicious and sustainable ways.
17. Conor Spacey, Ireland
Spacey is the culinary director of Foodspace Ireland, a small chain of restaurants and cafés that promote healthy eating and the use of fresh, seasonal produce. Foodspace maintains relationships with local growers and producers who use ethical and sustainable practices. Spacey believes that increased awareness for chefs can be a good thing. They can help raise awareness of the problem of declining biodiversity and prevent ingredients from disappearing.
17. Rene Redzepi, Denmark
Rene Redzepi is the co-owner and head chef of the world famous Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. He works with a network of farmers, collectors and suppliers to source local ingredients and create a distinctly Nordic cuisine that celebrates the land and the region’s culture. He also developed an app called Vild Mad (Wild Food) and built the MAD Symposium, which brings together chefs, scientists and farmers to create a more sustainable food industry based on preserving biodiversity and highlighting local ingredients.
Join the conversation:
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/18-chefs-promoting-biodiversity-for-a-healthier-planet-food-tank/
No comments:
Post a Comment