Article

Bringing our Culinary Community Together to ‘Shift’ Thinking Towards a More Sustainable Future

The SHIFT workshop

On Wednesday the 5th of October, Foodbuy’s Executive Culinary Community hosted a unique event to celebrate plant-forward food through our new SHIFT Academy Workshop. The workshop took the culinary community on a journey of awareness, highlighting the importance of plant-forward innovation and showcasing how their everyday decisions can make a real difference to our planet. The objective of the program is to inspire a ‘shift’ in thinking and activate a plant-forward ethos in the kitchen. Recognising that our chefs and cooks are the gatekeepers of change, the program set out to rethink recipes and traditional menu concepts and create a positive change in consumer mindset. 

I’m excited to bring the plant-forward movement to our culinary community, unleashing trendsetting innovations and leading the necessary change towards healthier and more sustainable consumer eating habits”
~
Andrew Brightmore, Executive Director – Foodbuy

How the day unfolded

In collaboration with plant-forward think-tank experts, Food Frontier, the workshop kicked off by sharing some of the eye-opening statistics that demonstrate the desire and demand for change in Australia. Culinary leaders were invited to share their personal experiences and culinary memories which further highlighted the desire to ‘shift’ the way we think. 

Focussed on our four guiding principles of successful plant-forward cuisine, culinary leaders were provided with useable resources to enable them to activate what they had both learnt and imagined throughout the day.

  1. Move plants to the centre
  2. Flips, blends and swaps
  3. Flavour rules
  4. Sounds good, looks good

The principles provide a framework that leaves room for creativity, passion and individual culinary imagination to flourish. The principles were put to the test through interactive demonstrations and practical workshops led by our very own Executive Chefs, Leo Gstrein and Andrew Collins, and our pioneering plant-forward supply partners Fenn Foods and Simplot. Ex Michelin Star Chef and Founder of Fenn Foods, Alejandro Cancino provided a magical ‘surprise and delight’ moment for our guests with delicious ‘pork’ dumplings made with Soy and Pea protein, putting pallets to the test to showcase the taste sensation of plant-forward food. 

The impact of true collaboration

As the culinary leaders enjoyed the delicious plant-forward dishes, there was a true alignment and appreciation of the impact they each have when it comes to guiding their teams and consumers through this planet’s positive change. Now empowered with the knowledge, inspiration and supplier network, the chefs left the workshop with the tools to implement a ‘shift’ back in their kitchens. 

 

“With Australians increasingly becoming aware of the health and environmental impacts of the foods they eat every day, the foodservice industry has a huge role to play in helping them easily access delicious, plant-centric dishes.
It’s fantastic to see Foodbuy and Compass Group leading the way forward in addressing this challenge. Shift Academy provides a great forum to bring together leading chefs to learn from one another and figure out how to enable the shift to plant-forward eating, starting with their own kitchens.”
~ Klara Kalocsay, Research and Content Manager, Food Frontier

 

SHIFT is one in a series of unique workshops that bring our ‘Purpose Driven Procurement’ ethos and WorldFirst™ promise to our clients and their culinary communities. These events are critical to support our culinary leaders as we face today’s challenges of food supply and inflationary cost pressures alongside striving to achieve a future-focused and net zero food economy. 

 

 

 

If you are interested to attend a future SHIFT event, learning more about these products or exploring our WorldFirst™ approach, please contact the Foodbuy team.

 

Related Articles

Innovative Procurement Services

Partner with us to turn your purchases into profit.

Join Our Network