Zrzut ekranu 2022-12-29 o 14.57.45

This one-day business conference brought together leading chefs and key stakeholders to identify the main areas of science and innovation within the gastronomy industry.

SEE US

In action

250+

ATTENDEES

20+

SPEAKERS

10+

COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS

2022

Speakers

DARRIN DANIEL
Executive Director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence.
JESSICA ROSVAL
Casa Maria Luigia Modena, Italy
MASSIMO BOTURA
Restaurant Osteria Francescana Modena, Italy
EDUARD XATRUCH
Disfrutar Barcelona, Spain
JOSH NILAND
Owner Saint Peter, Fish Butchery Paddington, Fish Butchery Waterloo and Charcoal Fish, Sydney
SHAI HAYMAN
Redefine Meat LTD Rehovot, Israel
ANDONI LUIS ADURIZ
Mugaritz Gipuzkoa, Spain
NATSUKO SHOJI
Été Tokyo, Japan
FRANCO PEPE
Pepe In Grani Caiazzo, Italy
ANTONIO BACHOUR
Coral Gables, Miami, USA
JOKE PUTSEYS
Custom Culinary®
JOHN FEENEY
Custom Culinary®
VALENTIN BLATTNER
Swiss grape geneticist
JÜRGEN GRAF
Weingut Graf von Weyher
MARTIN BUCHHOLTZ
Harte Liebe
HEKTOR MONROY
Head of Consumer Experience of Ron Matusalem
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Food Meets Science is gathering place to connect all food lovers from all over the world and create a community of all those for whom food and science is passion.

 

info@thebestchefawards.com

 

DARRIN DANIEL
Executive Director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence

For over 22 years, Cup of Excellence has supported and changed the way coffee roasters purchase directly from winning farmers in our competition and online auction. The founders of direct trade coffee purchas- ing, CoE has been the pioneer in traceable coffee buying while also innovating the ways in which high quality specialty coffee makes its way to the best Café’s, Roastery’s and discerning Chef’s around the world.
Darrin Daniel began his career in specialty coffee in the ’80s working as a barista and later as a roaster’s assistant for the Eugene, Oregon roaster/retailer Coffee Corner, Ltd. He has worked for coffee companies in Seattle, Portland and Denver. His early work with Illy caffè began his interest and growth into coffee education and training. Daniel’s was the Head Green Coffee Buyer for Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Director of Sourcing for Allegro Coffee/Whole Foods Market. Daniel’s has travelled to over 34 countries sourcing green coffee and tea. He has forged numerous relationships with coffee growers, mill managers and private and public organizations in Latin America, East Africa and the Indo/Pacific.
He has served on the Sustainability Council for the SCA and the Executive Council for the Roasters Guild of America. He currently serves on the advisory board for Roast Magazine. Brandon Loper’s 2014 Documentary A Film About Coffee features Daniel’s travels to Rwanda as Head Coffee Buyer for Stump- town Coffee Roasters.

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JESSICA ROSVAL
Casa Maria Luigia Modena, Italy

Jessica Rosval is head chef at Casa Maria Luigia, the luxury guesthouse by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, set in the Emilian countryside. She strives to create positive social change as the co-founder and culinary director at a non-profit called the Association for the Integration of Women.
Rosval teaches migrant women how to cook professionally, preparing them for a future in the restaurant industry. She starts with the basics of Italian and Modenese cuisine, but without forgetting the origins of the trainees and celebrating their cultures.

Social and environmental is essential for Jessica Rosval. She believes restaurants can contribute in more ways than one might think. As chefs we have the opportunity to promote good working conditions, race and gender equality, building strong communities, fighting food waste and protecting water and soil, these are the possibilities in gastronomy Rosval points out.

“By being creative, by keeping our minds open and starting the conversation, all of these different goals can really bring a lot of changes into our kitchens and our communities .”

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MASSIMO BOTTURA
Restaurant Osteria Francescana Modena, Italy

Massimo Bottura was born 30 September 1962. He is an Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, Italy. In 2016 Bottura announced the refettorio that he had established in Milan the year before would continue and went on to form the cultural foundation Food for Soul. His culinary empire now extends from Dubai to Beverly Hills. Bottura spends time in New York City to spread the Italian culinary tradition. He is the author of two books and one of the stars of Netflix’s cult foodie docuseries Chef’s Table.

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EDUARD XATRUCH
Disfrutar Barcelona, Spain

Alongside Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, Eduard Xatruch is part of the trio of chefs who head the restaurant Disfrutar in Barcelona and Compartir in Cadaqués. The restaurant Disfrutar was awarded at The Best Chef Awards 2019 in Barcelona with award for #NewEntry.
He was born in 1981, in a family that worked the field and was a fruit and vegetable wholesaler, he soon became attracted to cuisine, an activity that attracted him because it means manually working with things that are living. At the age of 17, after studying at the School of Hospitality in Cambrils, he went to elBulli for three months of practice and once there, he stayed. Xatruch has also gained experience in restaurants such as Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, Massimiliano Alajmo’s Le Calandre, or Arzak, with Juan Mari and Elena.

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JOSH NILAND
Owner Saint Peter, Fish Butchery Paddington, Fish Butchery Waterloo and Charcoal Fish, Sydney

Chef Josh Niland has transformed the way we cook, transport, age and store fish. His ethical, sustainable and revolutionary approach has received global recognition. Fellow chefs, marine experts, seafood companies and fishmongers have embraced his new philosophy. He is a multi-award-winning chef and alongside his wife Julie, owners of Saint Peter, Fish Butchery Paddington, Fish Butchery Waterloo and Charcoal Fish in Sydney Australia. Both his books The Whole Fish Cook Book and Take One Fish have won multiple awards including James Beard overall Book of the Year, 2020 for the former. In 2023 he will release his third book Fish Butchery and with Julie open their first hotel. Josh is a board member of The Basque Culinary Centre and is 33 years old.

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SHAI HAYMAN
Redefine Meat LTD Rehovot, Israel

Culinary Director for Redefine Meat, at the vanguard of its culinary vision across all current and future markets.
For Chef Shai Hayman, food was always a vocation. He was raised on a Moshav (a cooperative agricultural community) in a farming family where, food was fuel – a necessity. Shai became responsible for cooking for the family. From that point forward, he taught himself how to cook. As a novice in the kitchen and autodidact, he learned to cook from books, skipping school to watch cooking shows. In 2011 Shai started his professional career in the kitchen at Raphael in Tel Aviv. Emigrating to the United States, he was in the kitchen at Manresa in Los Gatos California, after which he plied his trade under Chef Grant Achatz at The Aviary, part of the Alinea Group in Chicago.
Returning to Israel in 2017, Chef Hayman worked as the first R&D Chef at OCD TLV.
At the end of 2018 Shai was approached by Eshchar Ben Shitrit to join Redefine Meat (at the time known as Jet-Eat) as the culinary head of his Food Tech project. Today Shai is the Culinary Director of Redefine Meat, spearheading the company’s culinary ethos while presenting its vision to new markets around the world.

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ANDONI LUIS ADURIZ
Mugaritz Gipuzkoa, Spain

Andoni Luis Aduriz is considered as one of the most influential chefs of our time. Throughout his career, he has prioritized both culinary evolution and an interdisciplinary approach. This has allowed him to cross the established borders and become a rebel in the kitchen.
Aduriz’ multidisciplinary approach embraces the innovation in the kitchen and the most diverse sectors. This is evident through his patronage of the Basque Culinary Center and his membership in the Tufts Nutrition Council from Tufts University, a group of international leaders from diverse backgrounds who share a passion for nutrition and health. Andoni builds bridges apparently unrelated worlds, in doing so he enhances his own discipline. This can be witnessed in his collaboration with the marine and alimentary research center AZTI and the Imagineering Institute, a multi-disciplinary internet and digital media research & development center. His versatility and creativity always raging the predefined limits open windows to many new worlds. This pioneering attitude gives rise to theater performances with La Fura dels Baus and to the promotion of diverse documentaries such as Mugaritz BSO and OFF-ROAD. Aduriz aims to seduce us with a multisensory experience.

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NATSUKO SHOJI
Été Tokyo, Japan

Natsuko Shoji spent her formative years training under Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilège before opening her cake laboratory, Été, in Shibuya. After proving her virtuosity in creating sophisticated desserts a cult following was built quickly around the Japanese chef for her showstopping pastry dishes that draw inspiration from haute couture. Shoji became the darling of both the fashion and cake cognoscenti, making a name amongst celebrities and renowned chefs. Her signature jewellery box cakes show a deep appreciation for seasonality, featuring some of Japan’s most prized fruits.
Shoji’s creativity and skill has helped grow Été – in December 2019, the small cake shop expanded into a six-seat, exclusive, “intimate and indulgent” restaurant that serves an intricate 10-course menu of savory courses and her signature desserts. Shoji is also known for her salted tart topped with Hokkaido Sea urchin and mimolette cheese; tilefish with white asparagus soup and kegeni crab meat; and Akagyu beef with truffle sauce and bone broth jus.
Été is the French word for summer, is a reference to the chef’s first name Natsuko, the kanji characters for which mean “summer child“. Her signature cake, Fleurs d’ été or “summer flowers” – stunning in presentation and the perfect demonstration of her incredible techniques – reflects the chef herself, whose beautiful smile fills guests with joy and vitality.

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FRANCO PEPE
Pepe In Grani Caiazzo, Italy

He is a living patron saint of pizza-making. Born in the city of Caiazzo in western Italy to a family of bakeries.
How was it beginning?
Franco learnt everything he could from his father, Stefano, who used to spend days in the local country- side picking fresh ingredients like oregano and mushrooms to put on top of pizza. Every time the dough was made there were no scales, recipes, machinery or ready-made ingredients involved; but because Franco watched his father create it from scratch thousands of times over, he didn’t even need to write anything down to learn how the dough should feel when it’s ready.
Pepe in Grani – popularity of the pizzeria
Franco opened his restaurant Pepe in Grani in 2005, just round the corner from his grandfather’s bakery. At the time, Caiazzo was not particularly known for its food. However, thanks to the popularity of the pizzeria and Franco’s work with agronomist Vincenzo Coppola, the surrounding area has become famous for its artisanal producers, particularly its olive oil. The ingredients used to make the pizzas come almost exclusively from these local suppliers, particularly the oil, mozzarella, chickpeas and pork.
Franco Pepe – one of Italy’s preeminent pizzaioli
Nowadays, Franco Pepe is one of Italy’s preeminent pizzaioli. He is constantly developing his craft. He showcased this lifelong pursuit at his restaurant Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo.

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ANTONIO BACHOUR
Coral Gables, Miami, USA

Antonio Bachour grew up in Puerto Rico and was hooked on pastry from a young age, thanks to a childhood spent in his family’s bakery. He dedicated his first few years honing his trade in Puerto Rico as a pastry cook at Sand Hotel and Casino and Westin Rio Mar. In search for a better place to continue growing professionally, 2001 found Bachour States-bound, in Miami Beach, as executive pastry chef at Talula. Pretty soon he was trying his hand at Italian delicacies at both Devito South Beach and Scarpetta in New York and Miami.
In 2009, Bachour was asked by KNR Food Concepts to be a part of the opening team at the W South Beach Hotel. Shortly after, he took over responsibility for all pastries for The Trump Soho hotel and its restau- rants. In April 2011 Bachour trained in France with renowned chef Philippe Givre at L’ Ecole Valrhona and that same year he was selected as one of the “Top 10 Pastry Chefs” in America plus was finalist in the 2011 International Chef Congress Pastry Competition.

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JOKE PUTSEYS
Custom Culinary®

Joke Putseys has a background in Bioscience Engineering. After graduating with a Master in Agriculture and Tropical Agriculture, at the Catholic University of Leuven, she researched starch and starch-lipid interactions to obtain her PhD. As a scientist and (later) senior scientist at the DSM, she focused on physicochemical properties and structure-function relationships of materials and, specifically, of baking applications and meat alternatives. This deepened her understanding of sensory, rheology, processing, and biotechnology even further.
Joke joined Griffith Foods in November 2021 as European Innovation / R&D Manager for Alternative Proteins. In this role, she leads the proactive innovations in plant-based and alternative proteins to elevate Griffith Foods ́ insights and become a thought leader in that area.

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JOHN FEENEY
Custom Culinary®

Like many modern-day chefs who have to wear several hats: Chef John Feeney, Culinary Director for Griffith foods Europe and Africa wears the hats of culinary artist, innovator, nutritionist, sustainability advisor, food technologist and alchemist. He contributes his expertise in culinary lead innovations and product developments, with an aptitude for translating chef concepts to menu board solutions, from Chef to Shelf.
With over 20 years of experience as a chef in prestigious hotels, for Foodservice, top tier events or as personal chefs for A-listers, John is not only a culinary ambassador and gentle disruptor in the hospitality industry he also tries to be a change agent for the social responsibilities that come with being a chef. One of these responsibilities is actively striving for a nutritious delicious “zero” food waste culture, starting from his own kitchen. By looking for new uses of often discarded products, even a small innovation can already have a large impact

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VALENTIN BLATTNER
Swiss grape geneticist

Valentin started conducting research into finding disease-resistant grapes in viniculture since the 1980s and is best known for developing the grape variety Cabernet Blanc in his Soyhières nursery in 1991. He crossed varieties of vinifera with other subspecies, which have since become known as “Blattners”. In making his wines, he relies on traditional field breeding techniques.
In his mission of developing mildew resistant vines, Valentin has been working in close cooperation with German PIWI International society. In addition, he holds a position at the Institute of Ecology and Grape Breeding in Switzerland.
Quite a lot of his grapes have not yet been launched and are still in the tasting & testing phase. At this Food meet Science session, Valentin will present his experience as a grape geneticist. Together with Jürgen Graf and Martin Buchholtz he will show the results of his research from 1980, which you can taste today as the new wine Cabernet Blanc.

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JÜRGEN GRAF
Weingut Graf von Weyher

In cooperation with his father and brother, Jürgen manages the vineyard Graf von Weyher, which is run by his family since 1788. Jürgen is the driving force behind re-inventing the vineyard in the 21st century. Jürgen is a perfect »cuvee« of tradition & future: He belongs to the 8th wine growing generation in the Graf family and was born in the village of Weyher in der Pfalz, right in the heart of the 2nd biggest German wine growing area. Having learned the traditional way of growing wine, he studied international wine business & economics. Additionally he traveled the world to expand his practical experience. New Zealand (Framingham Wines | Dr. Andrew Hedley) and South Africa (Edge Baston Wines | David Finalyson) were just two of the highlights.
Jürgen and his brother jointly developed new vine growing variations and became the first vineyard, which officially grew the newly developed Cabernet Blanc, a vine that requires 80% less pesticides. For the very first harvest with these grapes, the vineyard earned the award »pioneer of sustainability« in 2020. At this Food meet Science session, Jürgen will present his learnings together with Valentin Blattner & Martin Buchholtz.

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MARTIN BUCHHOLTZ
Harte Liebe

Entrepreneurial free spirit with just one mission: Bringing people and ideas together to create unforget- table events and make their taste buds dance.
With a solid background in the hospitality & catering industry, Martin dedicates his energy and a whole lot of craziness to the food, wine & event industry. He is all about surprising people with products and services that are new to them, new to the market and sometimes even new to the world. His goal? Making them fall in love, jump with joy, and come back for more. All the time. Every time.
Presenting Valentin Blattner & Jürgen Graf, he moderates the session “The evolution of wine for a better & tasteful future” including a live tasting of the Cabernet Blanc and another world premiere in the wine industry.

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HEKTOR MONROY
Head of Consumer Experience of Ron Matusalem

Mr Monroy is honored to have worked with Mauro Colagreco as Beverage Director for over 5 years. He is a very recognized mixologist in China and the Best Mixologist of Madrid by Spanish Bartenders Associa- tion (ABE). He is also proud to have opened the first Mercedes Benz bar in the world and the first Louis Vuitton Lounge in Asia.
Ron Matusalem was born 150 years ago in Cuba. It was the most desired rum during Cuba’s Golden Age and an indelible icon of that era. Ron Matusalem believes that elegance is timeless, a legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation. This internationally awarded rum is the pioneer in the art of timeless good taste. Ron Matusalem has 150 years of expertise in aging the most exquisite liquids in the solera system. A perfect mix of savoir-faire, tradition and innovation. Now it goes one step forward by innovating the concept of food pairing.

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