The Mindful Kitchen #1: Understanding the Food Systems
The Mindful Kitchen is a FoodChoices4LIFE webinar series by Worldchefs designed to help culinary professionals understand, apply, and communicate climate-smart food practices. Through three connected webinars, chefs will explore how food systems shape consumer behavior; how kitchens can reduce environmental impact, and how dining experiences can inspire sustainable choices. The series empowers chefs with practical knowledge and tools to become leaders in the transition toward more sustainable food systems.
In this foundational webinar, Dr. Enrico Porfido breaks down the global “farm to fork” network and shows you exactly where chefs fit into the big picture. You will discover how top-down international food policies impact your daily business, explore a real-world sustainable case study from Barcelona, and learn how to use your menu to help guests choose climate-smart meals without sacrificing taste.
Learning outcomes:
- The Circular Mindset: How to shift your kitchen from a linear line of waste into a smart, circular system.
- Food Policies Made Simple: What international, EU Farm-to-Fork, and local food strategies mean for your restaurant.
- The Sustainable Pillars: Practical ways to champion local, seasonal sourcing and low-waste kitchen logic.
- Why Guests Choose What They Eat: Understanding the mix of price, habit, taste, and menu layout that drives consumer decisions.
- Closing the Gap: How to use flexible menus and interactive guest experiences to make climate-friendly dining easy and appealing.
Practical Information:
- Topic: The Mindful Kitchen #1: Understanding the Food Systems
- Where: 2PM CET on Zoom, Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube!
- When: July 2nd, 2026
A digital badge and certificate will be awarded to the participants of this webinar.
Looking forward to seeing you at the webinar!
About the Speakers
Dr. Enrico Porfido
Torribera Mediterranean Center, Universitat de Barcelona
Enrico Porfido is an urban planner, researcher, educator, and food practitioner based in Barcelona. He holds a PhD in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Ferrara (Italy) and a Master’s degree in Urban and Metropolitan Studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He teaches and conducts research at several Spanish higher education institutions, including the Open University of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona, the Barcelona Culinary Hub.
Over the last few years, his work has focused on metropolitan food systems and governance, and the relationship between food policies, urban sustainability, and community engagement. As a practitioner, he has coordinated community-based activities, workshops, and educational projects.
He is the author and editor of more than 40 international publications and has served on the scientific and organising committees of several international conferences and events, including the international conference Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean (editions 2023–2024).
Meet the Series Experts
The Mindful Kitchen series is put together by 3 leading world culinary and behavioral experts to guide you from system awareness to kitchen action:
Dr. Enrico Porfido – Food Systems & Sustainability Specialist (Torribera Mediterranean Center, Universitat de Barcelona) – Featured Trainer for The Mindful Kitchen #1: Understanding the Food Systems
Shaun Leonard – Culinary Director at Swiss Culinary Academy BHMS Lucerne, Switzerland
Featured Trainer for The Mindful Kitchen #2: Reducing Impact Through Operations
Shonah Chalmers – Culinary Professor at Humber Polytechnic and Chair of Worldchefs Feed the Planet Committee
Featured Trainer for The Mindful Kitchen #3: Facing the Guest
About FoodChoices4Life
This webinar series is delivered as part of FoodChoices4LIFE, a European Union initiative dedicated to empowering citizens and culinary professionals to accelerate climate action through sustainable food choices. The project focuses on bridging the gap between behavioral science and everyday kitchen practices, helping households reduce dietary CO2 emissions and cut food waste without compromising on taste or tradition. By training over 500 chefs across Europe, FoodChoices4LIFE positions the culinary community as trusted leaders and vital change-makers in the transition toward healthy, climate-smart food systems.
