Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, the largest accredited provider of online and campus-based culinary training and education in the U.S., recently celebrated the 50th episode of its ‘The Ultimate Dish’ podcast. Launched in 2021, the popular weekly podcast continues to gain traction among foodies, entrepreneurs, and education aficionados, with a 62 percent increase in downloads in the past six months alone. Host, fourth-generation chef, and Escoffier Boulder campus president, Kirk Bachmann gives listeners an exclusive peek behind the culinary curtain with in-depth conversations from some of the world’s most innovative chefs, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders shaping the food industry today.
“In our first 50 episodes, ‘The Ultimate Dish’ has quickly become a master class and go-to resource for listeners on a rich range of topics spanning from exhilarating culinary competitions and the happiness that chocolate brings, to sustainability and art of making a great leader,”‘ said Bachmann. “We’re getting the inside scoop from some of the most established and brightest culinary, business and entrepreneurial minds around, and they’re sharing their inspirational stories with us. I’m inspired by them,” added Bachmann.
Popular podcast guests from the first 50 episodes include:
Curtis Duffy – Executive Chef and owner of two-Michelin Star restaurant Ever, talks about his philosophy on cooking, running a restaurant, and his journey to the top of the culinary industry.
Martin Yan – Cookbook author, host of the award-winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook, and 2022 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient talks about Asian cuisine and building a food brand.
Daryl Shular – The world’s first African-American and minority chef to earn the prestigious title Master Chef, shares the principles that guided his success.
Elle Simone Scott – Chef Elle Simone, Culinary Media Expert, Co-Founder & President of SheChef, Inc. and Resident Food Stylist at America’s Test Kitchen talks passion for food, mentoring, and building a thriving career after surviving ovarian cancer.
Philip Tessier – Bocuse d’Or Silver Medalist shares his blueprint for becoming a great chef and building a winning team.
Farmer Lee Jones – Sustainable farming techniques from farming expert and founding family of “The Chef’s Garden, James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who in Food and Beverage, “60 Coolest People in Food.”
Rip Esselstyn – Founder and CEO of PLANTSTRONG, an organization that is helping people lead healthier lives through plant-based nutrition.
Bobby Stuckey Bobby is the Master Sommelier and Co-Owner of Frasca Hospitality Group, a collection of four Colorado restaurants, one of which, Frasca Food and Wine, won the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Service.
Ed Leonard – Edward Leonard, an award-winning Certified Master Chef, a Culinary Olympic gold medalist, author, and international lecturer shares his inspirational story.
“Our podcast listeners are treated to unfiltered access to some of the most innovative, disruptive and talented leaders in their industries,” said Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts president and CEO Tracy Lorenz. Upcoming episodes include:
Skip Lacey – A business, leadership, life and success coach talks serial entrepreneurship, pivoting careers, and what it takes to make great leaders. (Episode airs July 26, 2022)
Jake Plummer – Former Pro-Bowl NFL Quarterback turned CBD and medicinal marjuiana advocate recounts his athletic career and how functional mushrooms have reshaped his life, mindset, and purpose. (Episode airs August 2, 2022)
Ann Cooper – Internationally recognized author and healthy food for children advocate, also known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady” focuses on school food crises and how chefs can make a difference. (Episode airs August 23, 2022).
Chef Rasmus Kofoed and Geranium Copenhagen receive the awards for The World’s Best Restaurant and The Best Restaurant in Europe 2022.
@The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022, held at the historic Old Billingsgate market in the City of London, marked the 20th year of the prestigious global gastronomic ranking.
Geranium in Copenhagen is named The World’s Best Restaurant 2022.
The crème de la crème of the world’s restaurant community gathered in London on July 18 to celebrate The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The awards ceremony, hosted by internationally renowned actor and gourmet Stanley Tucci, honoured gastronomic excellence from 24 territories across five continents before naming Copenhagen’s Geranium as The World’s Best Restaurant 2022 and The Best Restaurant in Europe 2022.
Taking over the No.1 position from Noma – which has been elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame – Geranium, led by chef Rasmus Kofoed, was voted the No.2 restaurant in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list. Geranium’s mission is to create food that awakens the senses, and Chef Kofoed’s meticulous cooking and incredible vision, including his recent decision to go meatless, have won accolades and fans worldwide. Geranium is joined in the top three by Central (No.2) in Lima and Disfrutar (No.3) in Barcelona.
“We are delighted to announce the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and to celebrate Geranium as the new No.1. Rasmus Kofoed, Søren Ledet and their team have created an unforgettable dining experience, taking seasonal cooking to superlative heights and delivering precise, beautiful and elegant food that combines art and flavour alongside a ground-breaking drinks programme. Geranium has cemented its status as a global culinary destination and a much-deserved winner of the coveted title, The World’s Best Restaurant 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. It is also very exciting to recognise this diverse list of restaurants spread across five continents and to see this vibrant culinary community coming together to celebrate in London.” – William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
@The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022
South America continues to make culinary waves, as Central Restaurant in Lima is named No.2 in the list and The Best Restaurant in South America, with the continent boasting eight restaurants overall including new entry Mayta (No.32) in Lima and Oteque (No.47) in Rio de Janeiro. Asia follows with seven restaurants in the list, including new entries Sorn in Bangkok (No.39) and La Cime, Osaka (No.41). The Best Restaurant in Asia is Den in Tokyo (No.20), while list debutant Fyn in Cape Town (No.37) is crowned The Best Restaurant in Africa. Pujol (No.5) in Mexico City takes The Best Restaurant in North America spot for the third time.
The Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award is presented to Atomix, a 14-seat tasting menu restaurant set around a single U-shaped counter in New York, run by husband and wife team Junghyun ‘JP’ and Ellia Park. With JP leading the kitchen and Ellia the front of house, the duo deliver a standout culinary experience, offering ground-breaking Korean cuisine and impeccable service to international visitors and New Yorkers alike.
René Frank of Coda, Berlin, is the recipient of The World’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Sosa. The renowned pastry chef leads Germany’s first and only specialist high-end dessert restaurant. Frank’s innovative and memorable creations, with a basis in traditional techniques, have attracted an ever-growing fanbase as well as help build the chef’s reputation internationally.
Introduced as a new award for 2022, the Beronia World’s Best Sommelier title is awarded to Josep Roca, sommelier and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain. Roca is a world-renowned sommelier, whose talent exemplifies excellence within wine and food and whose passion is captivating. El Celler de Can Roca, which Josep runs with his brothers Joan and Jordi, now sits in the Best of the Best hall of fame having won The World’s Best Restaurant title in both 2013 and 2015.
Uliassi Restaurant (No.12) in Senigallia, Italy is the winner of the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, in recognition of the restaurant’s contemporary cuisine inspired by the traditions of the Adriatic Coast.
Further new entries include: Alchemist Restaurant (No.18) and Jordnær Restaurant (No.38), both in Copenhagen; The Jane Restaurant (No.23) in Antwerp; Le Clarence Restaurant (No.28) in Paris; St Hubertus (No.29) in San Cassiano, Italy; and Ikoyi (No.49) in London.
@Geranium Restaurant’s elegant dining room in Copenhagen (image: Claes Bech-Poulsen)
Nobelhart & Schmutzig Restaurant (No.17) is awarded the Villa Massa Highest Climber Award, after the Berlin restaurant climbed 28 places since the publication of the 2021 list. Proud of its “vocally local” philosophy, Nobelhart & Schmutzig sets its focus firmly on its producers, resulting in high demand for its 10-course signature menu.
Jorge Vallejo, chef-owner of Quintonil Restaurant (No.9) in Mexico City wins the Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice Award. Voted on by his peers – the world’s leading chefs – it is awarded to a chef who has had a significant influence on the culinary community.
Aponiente Restaurant in the south-west of Spain takes home the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award. This award is independently audited by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which rates establishments that self-nominate for the award based on a wide range of criteria, including environmental and social responsibility.
The evening also celebrated those honoured with pre-announced special awards. These included the Champions of Change winners: Dieuveil Malonga, Koh Seng Choon and duo Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina; Leonor Espinosa, winner of The World’s Best Female Chef Award, sponsored by Nude Glass; social entrepreneur Wawira Njiru, winner of the Icon Award; and Marseille restaurant AM par Alexandre Mazzia, winner of the American Express One To Watch Award.
The Voting Process
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list is voted for by 1,080 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets who make up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The gender-balanced Academy comprises 27 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairperson. No sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is independently adjudicated by professional services consultancy Deloitte. This adjudication ensures that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 is protected.
Best of the Best
Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants (listed below) have more than proved their worth and will now be forever honoured as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame. The chefs and restaurateurs who have led their restaurants to the pinnacle of the list have expressed their desire to invest in the future of the sector and ‘give back’ to the food world through new projects and initiatives.
The following restaurants have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since the list’s inception and were therefore not eligible for voting in 2022 and beyond:
El Bulli Restaurant (2002, 2006-2009);
The French Laundry Restaurant (2003-2004);
The Fat Duck Restaurant (2005);
Noma Restaurant – original location (2010-2012, 2014);
While the real gold is in the bottle, each distillery is always thrilled to be recognised on the global stage amongst the world’s best. Starward Whisky is the world’s best spirit distiller after being named Most Awarded Distillery of the Year at the largest and most competitive international spirit competition in the world: the 2022 … Read more
Offering outdoor dining is now a key part of restaurants’ business: OpenTable Announces 100 Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining for 2022 More al fresco spots to love: OpenTable data shows 54% increase in restaurants listing outdoor dining nationwide. Outdoor dining is heating up, and this year, diners will find more patios and streeteries to love: … Read more
The École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP) in France becomes the largest French school dedicated to the Pastry Arts. The École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP), a world-renowned reference in the art of pastry, located in Yssingeaux in the Haute-Loire department of France, inaugurated the start of work on its extension in the presence of … Read more
Magnum ice cream, the first handheld ice cream targeted as a premium adult offering, partners with Cindy Bruna and Iris Van Herpen to Debut the World’s First Haute Couture Vegan Dress Made from Cocoa Beans.
@Magnum Vegan Dress by Avant-Garde Visionary @Iris Van Herpen
Unveiled during Paris Fashion Week at Elysée Montmartre, the Magnum Vegan Dress was revealed to the world as Cindy Bruna took to the runway in Iris Van Herpen’s 15th Anniversary show debuting the unique design to the world and paving the way as Magnum ice cream’s first steps into circular fashion.
The Magnum Vegan Dress is a celebration of Magnum ice cream’s vegan range; an expertly crafted and award-winning collection of delicious, plant-based indulgence and 100% Magnum ice cream decadence, without any dairy.
Magnum ice cream believes a day without indulgence is a day lost, and that everyone should be able to pursue what brings them joy, whatever this may be. This campaign brings together Magnum ice cream fans from across the world to indulge in the decadence of plant-based deliciousness and invites them to experience and celebrate Magnum Vegan through an all-new fusion of cocoa and haute couture.
@Magnum Vegan Dress by Avant-Garde Visionary @Iris Van Herpen
The Vegan Dress
The first of its kind for the brand, the Magnum Vegan Haute Couture Dress has been designed and created using an intricate 3-dimensional design, incorporating sustainable materials that reference Magnum ice cream’s vegan ingredients in an indulgent fusion between the brand’s iconic melting chocolate and Iris’ luxurious fluid designs. With the aid of 3-D printing technology, the Magnum Vegan Dress is also the first haute couture dress to be made from cocoa bean husks, which have been processed to create a fully organic biopolymer material.
The dress features intricate details including plantlike body embellishments which are copper-coated, draped and entwined with upcycled and pliseed organza, while other 3-D elements have been printed using innovative SLS technology (Selective Laser Sintering).
The creation of the Magnum Vegan Dress marks a dynamic collision between ice cream and haute couture, supporting both Magnum ice cream and the Maison of Iris van Herpen’s ambitions to work towards a fully sustainable production chain within the fashion industry and beyond.
“I am honored to have been approached by Magnum ice cream as a partner to bring to life the Magnum Vegan Dress. As a designer, I have always worked to push the boundaries of design and this collaboration has really allowed us to take this one step further by linking the ingredients of an iconic Magnum Vegan to create a haute couture design. The opportunity to work with the brand on such an innovation in sustainable fashion has been a very special experience,” – Iris said about the collaboration.
“What an honor to be able to reveal the Magnum Vegan Dress to the world – and to be able to do this at Iris’ 15th anniversary show just makes this even more special. Bringing together ice cream and haute couture in such an unexpected and impactful way is so exciting, making this a partnership that I am delighted to be a part of,” – said Cindy, who modeled the Magnum Vegan Dress.
The Magnum Vegan Dress is part of Iris van Herpen’s 15th anniversary collection entitled “Meta Morphism”. The collection explores society’s embrace and acceptance of a new world of digitalism with the arrival of the Metaverse and how this is becoming an increasingly prevalent part of everyday life. Inspired by Ovid’s canonical poem “Metamorphoses”, the designer breaks down the lines between reality and digital realms in a futuristic, avant-garde collection designed to inspire and evoke the question of who we are beyond a perceived reality.
Magnum ice cream’s Commitment to Sustainable Fashion
Magnum ice cream aims to strengthen its long-term commitment to fashion by announcing its intended partnership with the University of Leeds. The brand intends to commission a research project with the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) in the School of Design to further this commitment and look at how Magnum ice cream can bring to life accessible, sustainable fashion using by-products from its core ingredients. This is part of the brand’s long-term commitment of putting sustainability at the heart of the brand and working towards revolutionizing its waste product into a viable, circular solution inspired by its longstanding inspiration from fashion.
FAIRTRADE AMERICA LAUNCHED “IT’S ONLY FAIR” CAMPAIGN ASKING HOW LONG AMERICANS WOULD WORK FOR JUST $1 TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE UNFAIR PRICE COCOA FARMERS EARN FOR THEIR BELOVED CROP.
Globally, cocoa and chocolate together are a $48.29 billion industry that is expected to grow, yet cocoa farmers are currently battling inflation, rising production costs, the climate crisis and COVID-19 related challenges while the price they earn for cocoa hasn’t risen to meet these changes. As they navigate these challenges, they are asking for the same fair business practices and respect any entrepreneur would desire – a fair deal – so they can have a sustainable future in farming.
Smallholder, family-run farms with less than five acres of land and average yield between 1,300-1,760 lbs per year of cocoa provide 90% of the world’s cocoa beans. The cocoa industry is an important source of revenue for about 50 million people, including 5 million farming households.
Fairtrade America, the world’s most recognized label for social justice and sustainability, has launched a national campaign to generate broader awareness of the unjust price that farmers receive to produce the goods that we rely on everyday, including cocoa.
The “It’s Only Fair,” campaign features three videos connecting shoppers in the U.S. to smallholder cocoa farmers in West Africa and the dire issues farmers are facing around the world by disrupting people’s routines with the simple question, “How long would you work for $1?” Because of the unfair and unjust realities of the global food market, many cocoa farmers work an entire day for between $0.78-$1.00. That’s significantly below the international poverty line. Through this new campaign, Fairtrade America hopes to turn this big global issue into a more relatable problem, inspiring viewers to pause, reflect, learn and share about the impact unfair trade has on farmers and workers around the world.
Because of unfair trading practices, many farmers and workers around the world can’t make a living wage, no matter how hard they work. Extreme poverty can also lead to other problems, like deforestation and child labor. Farmers are forced to answer unthinkable questions, like “Should I preserve this forest? Or should I clear it to feed my family?” These problems aren’t new. For decades, corporations and governments have seen and ignored them or failed to address the root of the issue – poverty. The promising news is that as more and more consumers demand change, companies and governments will need to take action. A recent study found that shoppers in the U.S. are willing to pay up to 30% more per bar for Fairtrade chocolate, so why aren’t we?
“Farmers aren’t getting a fair deal. This is not only unjust, it is also unsustainable,” shared Peg Willingham, Executive Director of Fairtrade America. “Fairtrade believes that everyone deserves a decent standard of living. It’s only fair to pay a price that supports an existence worthy of human dignity.”
