Cover photo: A young chef speaks during the Billy Gallagher Young Chefs Forum at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo.
Three sessions by Worldchefs and its partners will showcase how food system policies come to life in kitchens, exploring how young chefs are shaping global dialogue on food heritage, sustainable food systems and culinary education.
Paris, France | 1 October 2026 – The World Association of Chefs’ Societies (Worldchefs) has announced three sessions at the World Food Forum (WFF)’s annual gathering, as part of the organization’s ongoing partnership with United Nations agencies working on food and nutrition. The 2026 WFF flagship event will be held from 8 to 16 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy, and online.
The WFF is a global platform to drive action towards agrifood systems transformation through youth leadership, science and innovation, and investment. Powered by young people and bringing together all stakeholders, the event provides space for cross-sectoral and intergenerational collaboration to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Organized around three pillars, Global Youth Action, Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum, the 2026 program spans high-level dialogues, interactive sessions, exhibitions and cultural showcases that spotlight the many ways people everywhere are shaping a better food future.
The 2026 WFF theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow,” highlights the role of science, technology and traditional knowledge in building more sustainable agrifood systems. Among the initiatives driving this vision forward is the World Food Forum’s Young Chefs Programme (YCP), launched in 2025 by the WFF Youth Initiative in collaboration with Worldchefs.
The YCP recognizes the powerful role of chefs as advocates and agents of change, equipping young chefs aged 18–35 with the skills, knowledge and networks to lead the transformation of agrifood systems through culinary practice. Through capacity development, advocacy and local action, its goal is to create leaders that can inspire and guide other chefs to advocate for more sustainable and healthier consumption habits. Each YCP participant is paired with a mentor from the Worldchefs network.
Three sessions by Worldchefs and its partners will showcase how food system policies come to life in kitchens, exploring how young chefs are shaping global dialogue on food heritage, sustainable food systems and culinary education. From advancing nutrition to safeguarding biodiversity, young chefs will share how they are generating impact by championing underutilized ingredients, sharing traditional knowledge, and innovating towards healthy, inclusive and resilient food systems.
We are thrilled to once again come together at the FAO headquarters for the World Food Forum Flagship Event, learning with and connecting young leaders with a vision for a better future.
Andy Cuthbert
Worldchefs’ President
Interactive Sessions from Young Chefs
As part of the 2026 WFF program, three Worldchefs sessions put the theme “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow” into practice, showing how youth-led culinary innovation can build more sustainable food systems.
Across the sessions, young chefs and their collaborators will explore what it means to turn ideas into action, sharing experience and insights on local-to-global impact. Speakers include participants from the YCP 2026 cohort, FAO’s David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division, and Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of FAO’s Office of Youth and Women, alongside leading voices from Worldchefs, the Future Food Institute and the Electrolux Food Foundation. “We are thrilled to once again come together at the FAO headquarters for the World Food Forum Flagship Event, learning with and connecting young leaders with a vision for a better future,” says Worldchefs’ President Andy Cuthburt, who will be attending the event.
Together, the sessions trace a throughline from global policy dialogue to local practice, providing real-life examples from projects in Canada, Italy, Romania and around the world, and offering practical tools for chefs ready to take action.
Explore the three sessions below.
Date: October 14, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM CET UTC+02
Location: Biocultural and Food Heritage Pavilion, FAO, Rome
About this event:
This session explores how food policies come to life in kitchens. Featuring culinary diplomacy and mentorship in Canada, the preservation and evolution of regional cuisine in Italy, and the connection between chefs, local producers, and traditional ingredients in Romania, the session explores how culinary heritage is being carried forward by a new generation, and closes with actionable steps for chefs through the EU-funded FoodChoices4LIFE initiative and #Cook4Climate campaign.
Speakers:
- Rosalyn Ediger, Juliane Yap, Derek Nicholas & Lovis Johdet, YCP 2026 cohort chefs
- Chef Giuseppe Da Vincenzo
- Chef Cezar Munteanu & Next-Gen Romanian Culinary Ambassador
- Connie Lau, Operations & Project Director, Worldchefs
- Cosimo Scarano, Head of Electrolux Food Foundation
- Ajla Dunga, Project Officer, Worldchefs
Date: October 14, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM CET UTC+02
Location: FAO, Philippines Room, Rome
About this event:
This interactive workshop will explore how chefs, the initiatives they create and the partnerships they build, can promote healthy and sustainable diets, strengthen local communities and turn knowledge and innovation into lasting impact.
Speakers:
- Kazuki Kitaoka, Director, Office of Youth and Women, FAO
- David Laborde, Director of Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA), FAO
- Sara Roversi, Founder, Future Food Institute;
- Cosimo Scarano, Head of Electrolux Food Foundation
- Flora Igoe, FAO
- Mahalia Wilson, YCP Chef
- Connie Lau, Operations & Project Director, Worldchefs
- Ajla Dunga, Project Officer, Worldchefs
Date: October 16, 2026
Time: 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM CET UTC+02
Location: FAO, Sheikh Zayed Centre, Rome
About this event:
This session brings young chefs to the center of global dialogue, empowering their role as innovators and custodians of food heritage. Young chefs share projects and perspectives shaping the future of food, followed by a forward look at investing in the next generation of culinary leaders:
Speakers:
- Young Chefs Programme representatives
- Andy Cuthbert, President, Worldchefs
- David Laborde, Director, Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA), FAO
- IIshita Lohiya, Youth Culture and Food Heritage Support (Young Chefs Programme) | World Food Forum, Office of Youth and Women, FAO
- Graceanne LaCombe, EU Chef Network Manager
Feeding Progress on the SDGs
The 2026 World Food Forum theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.” calls on people everywhere to turn ideas into action. Through the three Worldchefs sessions, young chefs will provide key learnings to guide work across generations and sectors, fostering collaboration to build more sustainable agrifood systems and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
By sharing traditional knowledge, highlighting the impact of community-led initiatives, and co-creating new ways of learning and collaborating, the program will contribute practical solutions that respond to today’s challenges and inspire hope for tomorrow.
Register for the 2026 flagship event here.
About the World Food Forum
Launched in 2021, the World Food Forum (WFF) is a global platform hosted by the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO). The WFF serves as the premier global platform to actively shape agrifood systems for a better food future, accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through youth action, science and innovation, and investment, the WFF forges new paths of action and multi-sector partnerships for agrifood impact at the local, regional and global levels to achieve a more sustainable, resilient, inclusive and hunger-free food future for all.
The WFF’s Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative) was established to harness the passion and power of youth and incite positive action for agrifood systems through youth empowerment.
The WFF Youth Initiative acts as a catalytic movement and driver of youth engagement in food governance, and serves as a knowledge centre and innovation lab, fostering and inspiring youth-led solutions. It thus actively contributes to the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Youth 2030 Strategy and enhances youth engagement in the follow-up to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.
The World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event is a global platform that drives action to transform agrifood systems through the power of youth, science and innovation, and investment. By uniting diverse voices, it accelerates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, driving action at global, regional and local levels.
In addition to its annual global flagship event in October celebrating youth achievements in agrifood systems transformation and leveraging the momentum of World Food Day, the WFF Youth Initiative features a range of events throughout the year and fosters local, regional and global networks as well as content and solution platforms. Learn more here.
About Worldchefs
The World Association of Chefs’ Societies, known as Worldchefs, is a federation made up of 110 national chef associations. A leading voice in the hospitality industry, Worldchefs carries years of history since its founding in 1928 at the Sorbonne by the venerable Auguste Escoffier.
Representing a mobilized international membership of culinary professionals, Worldchefs is committed to advancing the profession and leveraging the influence of the chef jacket for the betterment of the industry and humanity at large.
Worldchefs is dedicated to raising culinary standards and social awareness through these core focus areas:
- Education – Worldchefs offers support for education and professional development through the landmark Worldchefs Academy online training program, a diverse network of Worldchefs Education Partners and curriculum, and the world’s first Global Culinary Certification recognizing on-the-job skills in hospitality;
- Networking – Worldchefs connects culinary professionals around the world through their online community platform and provides a gateway for industry networking opportunities through endorsed events and the biennial Worldchefs Congress & Expo;
- Competition – Worldchefs sets global standards for competition rules, provides Competition Seminars and assurance of Worldchefs Certified Judges, and operates the Worldchefs Global Championships;
- Humanitarianism & Sustainability – Worldchefs Feed the Planet and World Chefs Without Borders programs relieve food poverty, deliver crisis support, and promote sustainability across the globe.
Visit www.worldchefs.org to learn more.
About the Young Chefs Programme
The World Food Forum (WFF)’s Young Chefs Programme (YCP) equips chefs (aged 18-35) with skills, knowledge and networks to take a leading role in transforming agrifood systems through culinary practices. From advancing better nutrition to promoting food security and biodiversity, its ultimate goal is to create leaders that can inspire and guide other chefs to advocate for more sustainable and healthier consumption habits. Each participant is paired with a mentor from the World Association of Chefs’ Societies network.
Media Contacts
Olivia Ruszczyk, Worldchefs Communications Manager
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