In celebration of this year’s Sustainable Gastronomy Day on June 18, Worldchefs proudly joined the World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Initiative to support the second edition of Sustainable Gastronomy Week (SGW), a global movement mobilizing young chefs to become champions of sustainable food systems.
With the theme “Local Seeds, Local Eats,” this year’s Sustainable Gastronomy Week (16–22 June 2025) challenged chefs aged 18–36 to go beyond farm-to-table. Participants spotlighted indigenous ingredients, heritage crops, and traditional livestock breeds to reduce environmental impact, celebrate biodiversity, preserve cultural heritage, and build more resilient agrifood systems.
Under this collaboration, Worldchefs called on its members to join the initiative. Three young chefs from around the globe successfully created and served sustainable menus in their workplaces, inspired by the theme. Each dish was rooted in local sourcing and environmental awareness, proving that sustainability and creativity go hand in hand.
Meet the Participating Worldchefs Members
🇨🇬 Richard Perez Kombo – Olympic Palace, Congo
Richard’s concept at FOOD RAPIDO, a restaurant-caterer, centers around personalized local cuisine, with individual menus and family buffets available for dine-in, takeaway, or delivery.
Using local products and ancestral cooking techniques, Richard offered a unique menu with several choices, including freshwater fish soup, gnami, and smoked fish salad lettuce salad for starters, salted fish, Congo river fish broth, and chicken for the main dishes, and Congo fruit cocktail, Malombo ice cream, and wild fruit pancakes for dessert, among other dishes.
🇦🇺 Elisha Kesici – Sucree Dessert & Wine Bar, Australia
Elisha Kesici brought Sustainable Gastronomy Week to Sucrée, Melbourne’s Newest Cafe & Dessert Bar serving breakfast, mezzes, pizzas and artisan plated desserts. During the course of the week, she sold 200 plated desserts.
Her menu included:
- Koji Caramel Parfait: Koji-fermented rice ice cream, miso caramel, soy milk crumble, puffed wild rice tuile
- Carrot & Citrus “Cheesecake”: Cashew-carrot cream, fermented lemon rind glaze, sourdough crumb base, candied tops, carrot leaf oil
- Cacao Pod Experience: Deconstructed dessert using all parts of the cacao pod—fermented cacao fruit sorbet, cocoa husk tea granita, nib shortbread, chocolate bark with bean shell ash.
🇸🇬 Jasper Jek – Supersimple, Singapore
Since 2016, SUPERSIMPLE has served wholesome salad and protein bowls with minimal additives. With scratch-made sides like pickled beets and parsley pesto, natural flavors shine. Guests can customize their meals and enjoy simple, nourishing, and delicious food made with care.
For Sustainable Gastronomy Week, Jasper added a few more options to his restaurant’s menu, including local farmed barramundi with sauce vierge, sweet potato fritata with pimentos, and middle-eastern chickpeas and lentil salad.
Sucrée Dessert & Wine Bar
Super Simple
A Global Impact
Created by FAO and UNESCO, Sustainable Gastronomy Day emphasizes the power of food to influence environmental, social, and cultural change. World Food Forum’s initiative empowers a new generation of chefs to be food system changemakers.
By participating, young chefs help raise awareness about sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and nutrition, one menu at a time.
Join our Feed the Planet Movement
Worldchefs is proud to amplify voices of chefs making a difference. Through initiatives like Sustainable Gastronomy Week, we continue our mission to educate, empower, and inspire culinary professionals to shape a better future for food.
Interested in hosting or participating in a sustainability initiative?
Explore our Feed the Planet programs and join a global network of chefs committed to change.
