Chefs’ Manifesto London Action Hub: Evolving Food Futures

Are you hungry for change? Join chefs, growers, gardeners, educators, policymakers, restaurateurs, academics and others affected by and interested in contributing to a better food future to share, discuss, learn and be inspired by projects, ideas and research for the food future we want to build together.

Chefs’ Manifesto and OmVed Gardens invite you to a two day event to explore the cycle of food from soil to plate and touch on key aspects like how to improve access to healthy and nutritious food where it is most needed and how to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of our food choices.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for registered attendees. Please select the tickets for the sessions you wish to attend.

Programme:

Session 1
Growing for Better Food Futures
Friday 14 June, 9am to 1pm

Urgent food systems transformation is needed to secure our food future. What role can chefs and eaters play in driving this forward? What are the challenges and opportunities of growing food at different scales and how could we establish more links between chefs, citizens and growing spaces to evolve our food systems?

Speakers:

Perrine Bulgheroni A renowned farmer who, along with Charles Herve-Gruyer, co-founded the famous Bec Hellouin, an ecoculture farm in Northern France and co-authored the Living with the Earth series of books. She has recently co-authored the recipe book “La Foi, La Fourche and La Fourchete” and will talk about what a small farm can teach us about our broken food systems.

Darryl Gadzekpo & Ella Phillips The green-fingered, food loving duo behind Electric Future Foods, whose passion for gardening and cooking with their children has spurred them to write “From Plant to Plate: Turn Home-Grown Ingredients Into Healthy Meals!” a visual feast to inspire 7-9 year olds to get growing, get cooking, and get plant-powered eating.

Deri Reed Sustainable Chef Deri Reed is the Owner & Manager of The Warren (Good Food Guide’s top 100 local restaurants in the UK) & Founder & Chef at Community Kitchen Cegin Hedyn. With a desire to leave the planet and customers' well-being in a better state than he finds it, Chef Deri features local produce, renewable energy, and animal welfare at the heart of all he does. Always walking the talk, Chef Deri has this year spearheaded a community allotment growing project together with Cegin Hedyn, in Carmarthen, Wales.

Dan Collison Dan is the Chief Executive officer of Farm Africa, an international organisation working to build a resilient rural Africa where people and the environment thrive. His new five-year strategy for the NGO builds on the organisation’s strengths in agriculture, market engagement and natural resource management, and increasing the focus on food systems and climate action.

Emma Trueman Emma is the Head of Projects and Outreach at Global Generation, an educational charity founded in 2004 that works together with local children and young people, businesses, residents and families to co-create gardens and show how disused urban spaces can become an oasis for growing plants and people. Having been with the organisation for many years, she has witnessed and managed the different gardens in its many renditions. She currently works in the Canada Water site.

Paul Newnham Paul heads up the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger. Paul seeks to generate change that will impact food systems, people and the planet. Chefs are equipped with a simple set of actions called the Chefs' Manifesto, to drive progress on the Global Goals. Paul also hosts a weekly podcast, Future Fork.

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Lunch Day 1
Friday 14 June, 1 to 2:30pm

A vegetarian interactive lunch imagined by Georgia Dowling, Josephine Marchandise and Arthur Potts Dawson. Focusing on the summer garden, lunch will be presented from a variety of local, seasonal and wild ingredients showcasing different cooking methods, including a selection of preserves and ferments from the OmVed Kitchen.

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Session 2
Sourcing & Access to Healthy and Nutritious Food
Friday 14 June, 2:30 to 5pm

How do those in hospitality, catering and food service manage their sourcing to improve their menus and how can different stakeholders ensure healthy and nutritious food is accessible for key groups such as children, patients in critical care or people in vulnerable situations?

Speakers:

Naomi Russell Naomi Russell set up Food Bank Aid in her garage in April 2020, at the start of Covid. Since then, Food Bank Aid has delivered nearly £5million worth of goods and has become a vital source of support to food banks across North London and Hertfordshire.

Dan Crossley Dan leads the team at the Food Ethics Council, a not-for-profit whose mission is to facilitate action towards fair food systems where people, animals and the planet flourish. He has worked on food sustainability issues for around 20 years, leading work on a range of issues, from our relationship with meat to tackling household food insecurity to power dynamics in the food system. He writes a regular monthly column for the Grocer, a leading food sector magazine.

Hugh Montgomery Hugh was appointed Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) for services to intensive care medicine and climate change. He is Professor of Intensive Care Medicine and Director of the UCL Centre for Human Health and Performance. He also co-chairs the international Lancet Countdown, which tracks how climate change is affecting human health and works on the Whittington Hospital intensive care unit.

Conor Spacey A chef for more than 30 years, co-founder of bespoke food catering company FoodSpace, and author of ‘Wasted’, Conor Spacey is known for questioning everything in the food industry and never satisfied that chefs are doing enough to fix the broken food systems and the planet. As an industry leader in running fully sustainable and zero-waste kitchens, Conor can be found regularly on TV, as a globally renowned speaker and ‘popping up’ in all manner of places as he takes his passion for being part of the solution to the people.

James Taylor After working in restaurants for 8 years, including working for James Martin and cooking for the Tottenham Football Club players, he now uses his passion for food to educate, training kitchen teams in London primary schools to cook nutritious meals for children using fresh ingredients. He also teaches children about healthy cookery in the classrooms.

Paul Newnham Paul heads up the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger. Paul seeks to generate change that will impact food systems, people and the planet. Chefs are equipped with a simple set of actions called the Chefs' Manifesto, to drive progress on the Global Goals. Paul also hosts a weekly podcast, Future Fork.

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Session 3
Regeneration: The Carbon Factor
Saturday 15 June, 9 to 1pm

The carbon impact of the food that we cook and eat is becoming the narrative that every food company is talking about. This session will demystify the topic and empower people to make better decisions when designing menus, buying food and considering waste streams. Monitoring and measuring our food production methods, highlighting the impact that producing food has on the environment and how chefs, businesses and consumers can support positive farming practices will provide more delicious and nutritious food as well as healing the systems that produce it.

Speakers:

Arthur Potts-Dawson Arthur is the UN World Food Programme Advocacy Chef. He has an interest in ethical and human food connections and is the founder of The People’s Supermarket, a sustainable food cooperative that responds to the needs of the local community in London and provides healthy, local food at reasonable prices.

Helen Fisher Artist, gardener, lover of nature. Helen has created the podcast 'We Are Carbon' to explore the concept that thriving natural ecosystems are the answer to supporting a 'beyond sustainable' society. With interviews spanning industries as varied as farming, science, education and community projects, the learnings are now being unpacked into digestible resources to support a range of audiences in taking steps towards a more regenerative future.

Ali Honour A highly regarded chef with 30 years of professional experience on the Irish food scene, bridges the gap between farm and fork and helps food businesses aspiring to operate in a more sustainable way. As a respected spokesperson and advocate, Ali collaborates with organisations, schools, and communities to raise awareness about food waste, climate-conscious food and the vital role beans play in our diets and the positive impact they have on our planet.

Bettina Campolucci Bordi An acclaimed plant-based chef, is a fervent advocate for plant foods. With her Danish-Tanzanian-Bulgarian roots, she uses local and seasonal produce to create dishes that nourish the body and soul. Beyond her three acclaimed cookbooks, and passion for eating seasonally, locally and waste free, Bettina's endeavours span food and mindfulness retreats, plant-based cooking workshops, pop ups, food writing, and her widely popular Retreat Chef Academy.

Vanshika Bhatia Chef Vanshika Bhatia has been cooking and baking since she could reach the stove top: “In my home, the very decision to plan and prepare dishes for the day is an act of joy,” she says. A highly awarded chef, Chef Owner of Omo Café and the Petite Pie Shop, Chef Vanshika is a passionate advocate for sustainable food systems, believing that “the menu is made after you have the ingredients in front of you, not before!” elevating the art of using every part of the ingredient.

Jon Lawson Jon began training as a chef in 2006 and eventually found himself working in the kitchen of Theo Randall, where he embraced a philosophy of simple Italian cooking with fine seasonal produce. In late 2016, having spent a year doing super clubs and a number of stages he opened Popolo restaurant in Shoreditch, focused on serving informal sharing plates and natural wines. Through the evolution of the restaurant Lawson has become more conscious of the impact they have on their community and the importance of the choices they make.

Paul Newnham Paul heads up the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger. Paul seeks to generate change that will impact food systems, people and the planet. Chefs are equipped with a simple set of actions called the Chefs' Manifesto, to drive progress on the Global Goals. Paul also hosts a weekly podcast, Future Fork.

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Lunch Day 2
Saturday 15 June, 1 to 2:30pm

A vegetarian interactive lunch imagined by Georgia Dowling, Josephine Marchandise and Arthur Potts Dawson. Focusing on the summer garden, lunch will be presented from a variety of local, seasonal and wild ingredients showcasing different cooking methods, including a selection of preserves and ferments from the OmVed Kitchen.

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Session 4
A Regenerative Kitchen
Saturday 15 June, 2:30 to 4pm

How can we cook, process and dispose of food to reduce waste and carbon footprint and nurture both our gut and soil health? Learn tips and recipes from our guest chefs.

Speakers:

Conor Spacey A chef for more than 30 years, co-founder of bespoke food catering company FoodSpace, and author of ‘Wasted’, Conor Spacey is known for questioning everything in the food industry and never satisfied that chefs are doing enough to fix the broken food systems and the planet. As an industry leader in running fully sustainable and zero-waste kitchens, Conor can be found regularly on TV, as a globally renowned speaker and ‘popping up’ in all manner of places as he takes his passion for being part of the solution, to the people.

Rebbecca Ghim Rebecca is the Founder and Director of The Ferm, a vegan zero-waste Korean fermentary The Ferm. The Ferm partners with London's top restaurants and catering companies to collect commonly discarded byproducts, such as cauliflower leaves and broccoli stalks, and transforms them into delicious, nutritious pickles at their freshest state. The Ferm carries a range of small batches of award-winning artisan kimchi (spicy vegetable pickles) and jangaji (soy-sauce-based pickles) that are based on Rebecca's family recipes

Josephine Marchandise Head of the Creative and Regenerative Kitchen at Omved Gardens. Growing up in a farming family, passionate about cooking, gardening and regenerative food growing, Josephine works symbiotically with OmVed’s rewilded and kitchen gardens to create nutritious and healing food with an emphasis on fermentation, wild and seasonal foods.

Paul Newnham Paul heads up the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger. Paul seeks to generate change that will impact food systems, people and the planet. Chefs are equipped with a simple set of actions called the Chefs' Manifesto, to drive progress on the Global Goals. Paul also hosts a weekly podcast, Future Fork.

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For more information on the complete programme and schedule please visit this page.

About the organisers:

OmVed Gardens is a greenscape, food project, exhibition, events and learning space in North London on a mission to explore food, ecology and creativity for health and climate resilience.

Chefs’ Manifesto is a chef-led project that brings together chefs from around the world to explore how they can help deliver a sustainable food system.

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Practical Information about the site:

Access to our garden can be steep, please wear sturdy shoes. We don't currently have access to different mobilities.

There is no visitor parking so we encourage you to cycle, walk or take public transport. Google Maps Directions

There is paid parking on Highgate from 10am - 12pm and free before and after.

We unfortunately cannot allow any furry friends unless they are guide/support animals. Please let us know in advance if you need to bring them with you.

The Glasshouse (Our indoor space) is not heated so please dress for the weather.

Health & Safety Information:

Children are the responsibility of their parents or guardians and should not be left unattended at any time when they are on site.

If you have an allergy to a particular plant or insect, please get in touch before attending our site.

The gardens are a habitat for a variety of pollinators, including busy bees. Please respect them and do not approach the beehives for their safety and yours.

We have ponds - members of the public are not permitted in the pond at any time.

Do not ingest any plants, mushrooms or fungi that you find on site.

There are two first aid kits on site, one in the glasshouse and one in the dome.