Tag: #ThisIsWorldchefs

As I reflect on this past year — often from kitchens, classrooms, and conversations with young chefs finding their voice — I am filled with gratitude and pride for the opportunity to serve as Chair of Feed the Planet. It has been a true honor to step into this role this past year and to build upon the incredible foundation laid by our former chair and my very beloved friend, Chris Koetke. Having worked closely alongside him since 2016, including serving as Vice Chair, I carry forward not only his vision, but his deep belief that education, when rooted in values, can truly change lives. I am grateful for our shared commitment and the strong foundation we continue to build on together as this important work moves forward.

None of what we do would be possible without the extraordinary Feed the Planet Committee. Our 18 members, representing countries across the globe, volunteer their time, expertise, and passion to advance our mission. From early-morning calls across time zones to thoughtful debate on how best to serve diverse communities, this group of chefs shows up with generosity and purpose. Their willingness to collaborate across cultures and continents is a powerful reminder that meaningful change happens when people unite around shared values.

This year has been one of real impact. Through the Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals course, more than 2,300 chefs and culinary professionals graduated in 2025, professionals who are now returning to their kitchens better equipped to make decisions that respect both people and planet. Five new active trainers were onboarded, and we took an important step forward by adapting the course into Spanish on Worldchefs Academy, expanding accessibility and reach. Our Food Heroes Workshops educated 670 children, from Namibia, to Pakistan, from Ireland to UAE, empowering children not just with information, but with a sense that their choices matter about food, sustainability, and responsibility. Meanwhile, the award-winning Like a Chef program continued to change lives through skills and opportunity, with 1,790 graduates, from Brazil, Argentina, and. Poland completing the program this year. Graduates leave not only with skills, but with confidence and a pathway into an industry that needs their talent, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within our industry.

Our 10 Sustainability Around the World webcasts brought global perspectives to the forefront, featuring everything from Italy’s Ristolab and sustainable gastronomy research, to Zimbabwean chefs driving food education through Whatz Cooking, and bold conversations on insect protein innovation with Third Millennium Farming. My sincere thanks to the Worldchefs office team, whose behind-the-scenes support makes these webcasts and our FTP initiatives possible.

Looking ahead, the momentum continues. At the Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2026, Feed the Planet will lead three dedicated sustainability sessions, including:

• Hero Ingredients — a concept born from my own work in sustainability education and developed in collaboration with Mark Serice, Vice President of Griffith Foods. This session will explore ingredients that drive sustainability, nutrition, and resilience, and will form the basis of a new chapter added to the Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals course in 2026.
• Menu 2050 – a panel discussion examining how menus of the future must evolve in response to climate change, resource constraints, and shifting consumer expectations.
• Feed the Planet Committee – highlighting how chefs and culinary education can be powerful tools for advancing equity, opportunity, and positive community impact.

These sessions will bring together chefs, educators, and industry leaders to share knowledge, spark dialogue, and inspire action, because sustainability is not a trend, it is our responsibility.

As we close the year, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our committee members, partners, trainers, and participants. Your dedication proves that chefs are uniquely positioned to lead positive change for people and planet. As a chef and professor, I continue to be inspired by the belief that what we teach, cook, and model today shapes the food systems of tomorrow.

With appreciation and renewed purpose,
Shonah Chalmers
Chair, Feed the Planet

*To learn more about Feed the Planet and our programs, visit https://feedtheplanet.worldchefs.org/

As 2025 comes to a close, Worldchefs’ Food Heroes program continues to grow in reach and impact, reinforcing the importance of early food education around the world. What children learn about food at a young age shapes the choices they make for the rest of their lives, and this belief sits at the heart of Food Heroes, a global education initiative under Worldchefs’ Feed the Planet sustainability programs. Delivered in collaboration with the Electrolux Food Foundation and AIESEC, Food Heroes empowers children to become active participants in positive food change.

Developed as part of UNICEF’s World’s Largest Lesson, Food Heroes delivers engaging, interactive workshops that help young people understand the relationship between food, health, and the planet in a fun and accessible way. Since its launch in 2018, the program has reached more than 300,000 children across over 30 countries, made possible through the long-standing collaboration between Worldchefs, Electrolux Food Foundation, and AIESEC, three organizations united by a shared commitment to building a more sustainable food future. Through hands-on activities, videos, workbooks, and creative challenges, children earn their Food Hero certificate while gaining the knowledge and confidence to make better food choices for themselves and the planet.

A Global Movement in Action

In 2025 alone, the Food Heroes program has continued to expand across regions, led by passionate chefs and community leaders determined to drive change.

This year, Worldchefs highlighted impactful Food Heroes initiatives in Ireland, where the program inspired healthy futures, and in Sri Lanka, home to the largest Food Heroes workshop to date. Beyond these stories, Food Heroes activations have also taken place in countries including Ghana, Namibia, Hungary, the Philippines, and the UAE, among others, reinforcing the program’s growing international impact and relevance.

Food Heroes on the Ground

For many facilitators, Food Heroes is an opportunity to create lasting impact within their own communities. One example is Joseph Chelala, who delivered two Food Heroes workshops at Rafic Hariri High School II in Lebanon.

The workshops took place in October, with each session engaging approximately 25 students aged seven. Reflecting on his involvement, Joseph shared:

“I joined AIESEC as a member in August, and when the Food Heroes program was announced, I immediately applied to take part. Before delivering the sessions, we went through training sessions to learn how to effectively engage and educate kids about sustainability and responsible food habits.”

During the sessions, Joseph guided students through topics such as reducing food waste, eating healthily, and supporting local producers, key actions aligned with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

“While giving the lesson, students were really engaged and enthusiastic about the topics…even though it was sometimes quite a challenge to get their full attention! Students especially enjoyed the interactive activity where they had to draw their own plate, which helped them stay focused for the rest of the lesson, and express their ideas creatively.”

For Joseph, the experience underscored the power of early education and collaboration:

“It honestly felt very rewarding to know that I was contributing, even in a small way, to shaping how students think about sustainability and food choices. I’m grateful for this opportunity to create impact within my community and inspire change around me.”

Stories like Joseph’s highlight how through Food Heroes, local leaders can turn global goals into meaningful, on-the-ground action.

Inspiring a Better Food Future

Across the globe, the Food Heroes program is helping shape the next generation of informed, empowered food citizens. Through Feed the Planet, Worldchefs, Electrolux Food Foundation and AIESEC continue to demonstrate how chefs, young leaders, and educators can work together to inspire healthier choices and a more sustainable future.

To learn more about Food Heroes and Worldchefs’ Feed the Planet programs, click here.

This year, Worldchefs proudly welcomed five new Certified Sustainability Education Trainers, strengthening our global network of 163 trainers dedicated to empowering culinary students and professionals with the knowledge and tools to build more sustainable kitchens. Together, these trainers play a vital role in delivering Worldchefs’ sustainability education curriculum across regions and cultures.

Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals is a course designed to help chefs think and act sustainably in their daily work. Delivered by Worldchefs’ Certified Trainers as well as available online through Worldchefs Academy, the course supports students and professionals in applying sustainability principles to real-world culinary environments, encouraging meaningful change that begins in the kitchen and extends throughout the food system.

An Impact Spanning the Globe

In 2025, Worldchefs’ Sustainability Education program continued to take root in new regions while deepening its impact in established communities. This year saw the program expand in Pakistan, introducing sustainability education to new culinary audiences, while ongoing initiatives across Africa demonstrated how chefs are driving meaningful change through education and leadership.

Today, Worldchefs’ Certified Sustainability Education Trainers represent an extraordinary global network, with trainers based across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Oceania. From Canada and Ireland to South Africa, India, the Philippines, Australia, the United States, and more, this diverse community underscores the truly international reach of Worldchefs’ sustainability mission.

With such a global audience, accesibility remains key. Following the Arabic translation of the curriculum completed in 2024, Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals was translated into Spanish in 2025 with the support of three of our talented certified trainers. This milestone now provides Spanish-speaking trainers, students, and institutions with greater access to sustainability education, helping extend the program’s reach to new classrooms and communities around the globe.

Say Hello to our Newest Trainers

Worldchefs is pleased to welcome the following professionals as Certified Sustainability Education Trainers of 2025:

• Carmela Beatrice-Canta – Lyceum of the Philippines University–Laguna, Philippines
• Sydney S. Roque – St. Catherine Institute of Technology, Philippines
• Driselle P. Pajuyo – Far Eastern University, Philippines
• Jorge Adeodatus M. Bautista – Youngsan University, South Korea
• Luisa Rizzi – NAIT, Canada

Already active within the program, these trainers have delivered sustainability education sessions throughout the year, already graduating over 100 students in the Philippines, and others in Canada and South Korea.

Be Part of the Mission

With the collective support of both new and experienced trainers worldwide, the Sustainability Education program has now reached nearly 16,000 graduates since its launch. Each training represents another step toward a more informed, responsible, and resilient global food industry.

Worldchefs invites culinary educators and professionals to join this growing global network. To learn more about becoming a Worldchefs Certified Sustainability Education Trainer, click here or on the button below.

Congratulations once again to the five professionals who have joined our network of certified trainers in 2025! We looks forward to seeing sustainability education initiatives continue to take shape in your countries and beyond.