Food on The Edge 2019: identity, migration, and food as diplomacy

On the 21st and 22nd October, S.Pellegrino sponsored the Food on the Edge event which took place at the University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland.  More than 600 participants participated in the event, including notable chefs Shinobu Namae, Alex Atala, Darina Allen, Leonor Espinosa, Josh Niland and Ben Shewry  as well as team members from Fine Dining Lovers.

The theme of this year’s event was migration, with additional topics including food waste, sustainability, education, diversity and authenticity. There was a great deal of activity and buzz throughout the event with interesting talks, demonstrations, masterclasses and samplings from industry professionals of the culinary community.

Director of the symposium, JP McMahon said “We had a great diversity of speakers and topics this year, with a particular focus on the theme of migration”.

EDUCATING FOR THE FUTURE

Shinobu Namae of L’Effervescence, Tokyo, kicked off with some interesting insights into the international influence on Japanese cuisine, “1,200 years of a meatless diet in Japan was influenced by the politics at the time, while meat was introduced to build stronger soldiers like Western counterparts.”

Chefs Rachel and Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cork, Ireland, discussed about ‘Irish Food: Past, Present and our Vision for the Future’, Darina Allen asserting, “The future of Irish food is through looking to the learnings of the past”.

In ‘Fish Unknown - Diversifying Your Plate’ on sustainability in the fishing industry, Guy Owen believes in varying your choice of fish, starting with the fishmonger. Josh Niland, of Saint Peter Restaurant, Australia, supports this thinking in his talk ‘Beyond The Fillet’.

Celebrity chef, Alex Atala of D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil, wrapped up the first day with his talk on ‘Knowledge, Eating, Cooking, Producing and Nature’, “If cooking is a political act, I am an activist. We can create the change. We eat at least three times a day, we can act at least three times a day” he said. On the second day, Ben Shewry of Attica, Australia, shared his Food Story, ‘Shut Up and Listen’: “Food can be the thing that changes the mainstream” he said.

FINE DINING LOVERS: KITCHEN CULTURE

The evolution of kitchen culture and chef sustainability were outlined in detail by Fine Dining Lovers senior correspondent, Ryan King. He named the seminal kitchen heads who are actively paving the way for better models by changing their working environment for the better. He deferred to Carlo Petrini’s belief that hierarchical systems in kitchens such as the Escoffier Brigade, be abandoned for a more ethical and empathic approach.

Read more about S.Pellegrino’s belief in nurturing and supporting young culinary talent through S.Pellegrino Young Chef, and follow all the exciting developments in the world of gastronomy on S.Pellegrino’s Instagram and Facebook pages.