The Mindful Kitchen #2: Reducing Impact Through Operations
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 highly practical second webinar, Chef Shaun Leonard shows you how to adopt a “black truffle mindset”, treating every single ingredient as rare and valuable. You will learn how to transition your kitchen into a zero-waste operation by mastering total ingredient utilization, tracking prep losses, and running creative, hidden sustainability tactics on your menu. From commis to head chef, discover how to unite your culinary brigade, cut food waste costs, and turn scraps into profit.
Learning outcomes:
- The Black Truffle Mindset: How to plan your menus for full-product utilization before production even begins.
- Measuring to Manage: Simple tracking methods to audit prep losses, spoilage, and plate waste to quickly protect your bottom line.
- Innovation via Upcycling: Turning standard trimmings, stale bread, and imperfect fruit into high-value menu items like stocks, powders, and ferments.
- Uniting the Brigade: How to use daily briefings, skills training, and creative competitions to build a zero-waste team culture.
- Sustainability through Stealth: How to quietly influence guest behavior through smart dish design without over-marketing it on the plate.
Practical Information:
- Topic: The Mindful Kitchen #2: Reducing Impact Through Operations
- Where: 2PM CET on Zoom, Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube!
- When: July 21st, 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
Shaun Leonard
Culinary Director at Swiss Culinary Academy BHMS Lucerne, Switzerland
Chef Shaun Leonard has 37 years’ experience in the F&B industry and 22 years
teaching experience in 21 countries worldwide. He has headed up kitchen departments for numerous hotels including Hilton and Kempinski both nationally and internationally, including opening the prestigious Paddington Hilton in London in 2001. Chef Shaun is also a keen culinary competitor, having won gold and silver medals at some of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions at the culinary world cup in Luxembourg and the culinary Olympics in Erfurt Germany. Today, Chef Shaun leads the
culinary programs at BHMS (Swiss Culinary Academy) and focuses on imparting his knowledge and expertise to students. He also focuses on mentoring and judging as a Worldchefs official judge and serves as
a special advisor to Worldchefs on education matters and Global Culinary Certification. He encourages aspiring chefs to follow their passion for food and join him in the pursuit of culinary excellence.
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.
