On 4th October, as part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 in Antwerp, Belgium, S.Pellegrino presented "Food Meets Talent", an event exploring the idea of talent and highlighting its crucial role in shaping the future of gastronomy.
Introduced by Stefano Bolognese, Sanpellegrino International Business Unit Director, this was the fourth edition of a series that began in 2018 with the theme “Food Meets Art”, followed by "Food Meets Future" in 2019 and "Food Meets Hope" in 2020.
The first session, "If I Knew Then What I Know Now..." saw successful chefs Clare Smyth, Ana Roš and Micha Tsumura giving advice to the next generation in the form of poignant letters to their younger selves. In the words of Clare Smyth, "The journey will at times seem long and tough, but the exhaustion will pass, and the cuts will heal. It will all be worth it."
In Part 2, "Meet The Next Generation", food-inspired artist Adelaide Lala Tam, culinary community activist Kurt Evans and award-winning young chefs Mark Moriarty and Manon Schenck each inspired the audience with insights from their own professional journeys.
Next, elite chef Heston Blumenthal gave the keynote speech "How to hack your own talent", exploring how we all have the potential to improve our skills, what epigenetics can teach us about the future, and why controlling environmental factors can make us healthier and happier.
Rounding off the event with a session entitled "Tasting Talent", Paolo Griffa and Manon Schenck showed off their culinary expertise by treating guests to canapés inspired by the dishes that have defined their careers.
Highlights from the event will be available over the coming days and weeks on the websites of S.Pellegrino and The World's 50 Best.
