"This is Food Design" for Parabere Forum
Updated: 6 days ago
I'm back from a few days in New York City, where I was invited to attend and speak at Parabere Forum (March 2-3, 2025). What an experience...
PARABERE Forum is an annual non-profit event that unites thought-leaders in gastronomy, food, and nutrition to enhance the influence of women in the food sector. It fosters a global network to promote diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in hospitality through innovative action plans and debates. The two-day forum features top opinion-shapers, including food activists, scientists, farmers, and renowned female chefs from five continents, focusing on amplifying women's contributions to key issues. By empowering women, PARABERE Forum aims to drive sustainability, equality, growth, and social progress for a better world. The theme of this year's forum was Food Design and Innovation.
To be invited to be the first Keynote Speaker to open the conference was - as you can imagine - a big honour. But what I received from this event and these women, was more than I gave, more than I expected...
My keynote talk on March 2nd, titled "This is Food Design", explored the vast and evolving field of Food Design, a discipline that applies creative and strategic thinking to every aspect of food and eating. From product development to food experiences, Food Design encompassed 14 sub-disciplines, including Eating Design, Food Product Design, Food System Design, and Critical Food Design. By examining how these areas intersected, the talk unveiled the power of Design in shaping our relationship with food, influencing sustainability, innovation, and culture.
Through this talk, chefs and hospitality professionals gained new insights into how Food Design extends beyond plating and presentation, influencing everything from sustainability to customer experience. They discovered how its 14 sub-disciplines can inspire innovation in their work, helping them rethink the way food is created, served, and experienced.
I also gave a workshop on March 2nd. This interactive workshop offered conference participants a hands-on simulation of the Food Design Thinking process. Attendees experienced three key methods: Define Your Inspiration, which helped them uncover personal and creative motivations; IdeaStar, a dynamic collective method for generating multiple ideas; and Idea Alignment, which guided them in aligning their concepts with their own spiritual journey. Through this process, participants gained a deeper understanding of how Food Design Thinking fosters innovation, personal growth, and meaningful food experiences.
And in between this, I met some amazing women...
I met the wonderful Cristina Martinez, this year's winner of the Parabere Grant. Chef Cristina Martinez is a Mexican-born culinary artist and immigration activist based in Philadelphia, renowned for her authentic lamb barbacoa at South Philly Barbacoa, which earned her a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2022. Having arrived in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, she transformed her passion for traditional Mexican cuisine into a celebrated career, using her platform to advocate for undocumented workers' rights while operating additional ventures like Casa Mexico and the People's Kitchen at El Compadre.
I met Karen Washington, who is a prominent urban farming advocate and community activist based in New York City, known for her work in food justice and transforming vacant lots into thriving community gardens, such as the Garden of Happiness in the Bronx. Since the 1980s, she has empowered Black and brown communities by promoting sustainable, farm-grown food access, co-founding initiatives like Black Urban Growers (BUGS) and Rise & Root Farm, while challenging systemic inequities in the food system—earning her a James Beard Leadership Award in 2014.
I met Ruth Reichl who was interviewed by Julia Moskin. Ruth Reichl is an acclaimed American food writer, editor, and critic, celebrated for her transformative tenure as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine from 1999 to 2009 and her incisive restaurant reviews as The New York Times critic from 1993 to 1999. Known for her evocative memoirs like Tender at the Bone and her role in shaping modern culinary journalism, she has received multiple James Beard Awards and continues to influence food culture through her writing and television appearances. And Julia Moskin is an award-winning food journalist and cookbook author, best known for her work as a reporter for The New York Times, where she covers culinary trends, recipes, and the food industry with insightful depth.
I met Alina Alam, winner of the Parabere Grant. She is a social entrepreneur and the founder of the wonderful Mitti Cafe, a chain of cafes that employs and trains adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities, promoting inclusion and sustainable livelihoods. Recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2020, she has expanded Mitti Cafe across multiple cities, earning accolades for her compassionate leadership and innovative approach to social impact.
I met Jess Murphy, also winner of the Parabere Grant. She is an acclaimed Irish chef and restaurateur, known for co-owning and running Kai Restaurant in Galway with her husband, where her innovative approach to local, seasonal ingredients has earned her multiple awards, including Best Chef in Ireland at the 2016 Irish Restaurant Awards. Originally from New Zealand, she moved to Ireland in 2006, bringing her global culinary experience to the vibrant Galway food scene, and is celebrated for her commitment to sustainability and community-driven cuisine.
I met Dr. Kristin Reynolds, a critical food geographer and the Chair and Associate Professor of Food Studies at The New School in New York City, where she has taught since 2010, focusing on social justice, urban agriculture, and global food systems. Known for her action-oriented research, she authored Beyond the Kale: Urban Agriculture and Social Justice Activism in New York City (2016) and co-edited Radical Food Geographies (2024), while also founding the Food and Social Justice Action Research Lab at The New School to support equitable food systems.
I met Catherine Lefebvre who interviewed me and the other speakers and wrote a lovely article about the event.
I met Anna Mandelbaum who presented the beautiful project San Pellegrino Young Chefs Academy.
I met Luciana Delle Donne, founder of the wonderful project Made in Carcere.
I met Giuseppe Di Martino, founder of Pastificio Dei Campi, who told me one of the most wonderful stories of food sovereignty and entrepreneurship I ever heard. Pastificio dei Campi is a renowned pasta producer based in Gragnano, Italy, celebrated for crafting premium Pasta di Gragnano IGP using 100% Italian durum wheat sourced primarily from Puglia, Molise, and Basilicata. The company places utmost importance on its grains, cultivating high-protein wheat through sustainable farming practices, including a three-year crop rotation cycle to maintain soil health, ensuring exceptional quality and nutritional value in every bite. Pastificio dei Campi combines centuries-old tradition with modern innovation, offering fully traceable pasta that highlights the provenance of its carefully selected, heritage-rich grains.
We ate at Giuseppe's La Devozione and this is what I got... I ordered it because it is Giuseppe's favourite and you really can't go wrong with it. Delicious.
And I also got the PASTAmisu! Because when you see something like that on the menu, how can you NOT order it! Divine.
I also met Valérie Bélisle, founder of Bélisle Pottery. Valérie told me her story of bravery and curiosity, and tiredness and perseverance. And she gave me the most unique "business card"!
I met Chef Lauren DeSteno who is the U.S. Correspondent for Parabere Forum, advocating for women in hospitality and fostering inclusivity and innovation in gastronomy on a global scale. Lauren is the corporate executive chef for the Altamarea Group, overseeing renowned NYC restaurants like Marea and Ai Fiori where we ate the first night. I loved her vegetarian menu! Inspired by her Italian-Spanish heritage, she trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at Eleven Madison Park before joining Marea in 2009, becoming executive chef in 2016. Known for her commitment to hospitality and zero-waste philosophies, she shapes New York’s fine dining scene.
I finally met Sibel Kutlusoy who is the Parabere correspondent for Turkey. Sibel is an industrial designer and food designer based in Istanbul, Turkey. She combines her design expertise with a passion for authentic, local cuisine, often experimenting in the kitchen to create unique culinary experiences. She is also a part-time instructor at the Department of Industrial Design at İstanbul Bilgi University. Through her work, she explores, shares knowledge, and connects professionals, aiming to create an interdisciplinary food design community.
Sibel and I have been in touch for years, since she joined one of the courses at the Online School of Food Design. Sibel is the person who proposed Food Design as the topic of this year's forum, and who brought my name to the attention to the Parabere organisers. AND when we met she gifted me these two lovely characters here: Ayse and Ali :) Thank you Sibel!
And of course... I finally met Maria Canabal, Parabere's President and heart. Maria is a journalist and curator who writes about food, travel, and lifestyle for renowned magazines such as MONOCLE, ÃPICIUS, and GOURMET. Fluent in five languages, Maria has curated influential events globally and has been recognized as one of the most influential women in gastronomy. Maria has the power of bringing together women who have important stories to shares. Since Parabere is a non-for-profit organisation, Maria and the full team invest their time and energies with the only goal of... well, making a better world. And indeed they do.
Many thanks to Joanna Savil, Kylie Kwong and Libby Travers for all their work, for they beauty, and for their bright energy.
And here is all the other wonderful women I've had the pleasure to interact with, exchange thoughts and opinions, smiles and hugs: @amihov Ami Hovstadius | @Radhika Khandelwal | @mercedesroman__ Mecha Román | @zielinska_fournil | @paula_a.thomas Paula thomas | @elisa.cafe | @zoevdg Zoë van der Grinten | @aireeese Ahris 성아 Kim | @fiagulliksson Fia Gulliksson | @teresarucci Teresa Rucci | @pilar_cabreraa Chef Pilar Cabrera. Thank you all, and I hope to meet you again soon... MAYBE NEXT YEAR IN BARCELONA?
Here is a lil video I made while I was in NYC, and below a reflection I had after visiting the Whitney Museum of American Art :)
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