CLIMATE SMART CHEFS AWARD: an award for commitment to the environment
To recognize the efforts of participants in the LIFE Climate Smart Chefs training programme and to promote local initiatives by non-profit organizations working for a more environmentally friendly diet, the international consortium of project partners has created the Climate Smart Chefs Award. The award is open to participants aged 18 and over who reside in a European member state and application submissions are accepted from 6 September 2023 until 10 June 2024.
Chefs can apply under two different subcategories: “Sustainable Restaurant of the Year,” aimed at more experienced chefs already in charge of a professional kitchen, and “Sustainable Recipe of the Year“, which young chefs who are training or working in a kitchen can participate in. After completing the training provided by LIFE Climate Smart Chefs through the “traditional” (online + in-person) course or through MOOC (a “reduced” online course available on the project website), the more experienced chefs can submit a project describing their personal experience and how the expertise gained during the course has generated positive changes in their restaurant, while the “beginners” will have the opportunity to present their ideas for environment-friendly recipes. The winner in each category will receive a specialized course at ALMA, the opportunity to become ambassadors for the project throughout Europe and a one-year free license for the “FoodPrint” software.
The award for “local initiatives“, on the other hand, is aimed at local associations and non-profit organizations that, with the involvement of one or more chefs, set up projects and initiatives dealing with issues related to food, climate, water, nutrition, waste, etc. In particular, the Award will recognize 3 initiatives carried out within the EU that are best able to demonstrate their impact and success in raising awareness about the relationship between food and the environment and that are willing to use the award to pursue these activities further. The award includes a cash prize of 10,000 euros for first place, 5,000 euros for second place and 2,500 euros for third place.
The winners in both categories of the Award will be selected by an international panel of experts in the food sector headed by Chef Chiara Pavan (recipient of a green Michelin star) and the awards will be presented during the final conference of the project to be held on September 2024.
“I am proud to be a part of this project: building awareness of the impact that food has on the ongoing climate changes and developing greater empathy for the health of our planet are important tasks in which education plays a crucial role. We chefs, in particular, have the responsibility to offer menus that promote the well-being of both people and the planet. To do this, we must continue to be committed to education, spread knowledge about urgent and important issues, raise our customers’ awareness and, at the same time, be agents of change. It’s time to change our approach to food, climate and health and create a resilient food system that is healthier for both people and the planet. We can all contribute to achieving this goal and we cannot back down” – said Chiara Pavan, Chef at Venissa Restaurant, Venice, and a member of the Advisory Board of the LIFE Climate Smart Chefs project.
For further information:
- Download the leaflet for chefs
- Download the leaflet for non-profit organizations
- Watch the video about the Award
