ALMA TALKS:
#2: Zero Waste and Creativity in the Kitchen
date: Monday, November 18, 2024
time: 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
location: ALMA Prague
The event will be held in Czech and English. There will be a possibility to use headphones on site to listen to simultaneous interpretation in both languages.
Eliminating plastic wraps, fermenting and pickling surplus ingredients, processing animals nose-to-tail, implementing more efficient menu planning, and composting organic waste are just a few of the simpler measures that a growing number of restaurants across all price ranges are beginning to adopt today—from cafés and wine bars to Michelin-starred establishments. But some places, particularly those for whom the zero waste approach is an intrinsic part of their DNA, go even further, pursuing "seemingly impossible" practices such as upcycling glass, transforming recycled plastics into takeaway plates and elements of their interior design, or pressuring suppliers to reduce or change their packaging materials. Zero waste is gradually gaining traction and awareness among more business owners, compelling them to think differently and creatively. The second edition of AlmaTalks will explore how to handle waste, how to measure it, minimise it, and creatively transform it into products with added value.
The second edition of AlmaTalks will introduce you to a reality where waste from one process becomes the input for another.
Topics we will touch upon:
Strategies, tools, and technological solutions for reducing food waste in restaurants. Existing methodologies for quantifying and reporting food waste.
Examples of zero waste / circular initiatives in restaurants, hotels, and cafés. Best practices on how to implement changes and communicate them internally.
Circularity in the food system. Transformation and practical use of residual waste from the food industry into new products and ingredients (food waste / side streams to added-value food products).
What infrastructure do we need as a hospitality sector or society as a whole to reduce food waste and manage it more efficiently?
where And how
The event capacity is 100 people. Most of the programme will take place in the ALMA restaurant, some parts will be held in Alma's underground conference space. The after-hours networking will take place over a glass of wine in VIN-ÁRNA, Alma's cosy wine bar located in its courtyard.
ALMA TALKS CATERING
The conference programme includes several refreshments, all created by Alma's chefs Michal Daňek and Petr Žídek. The price includes a morning welcome meal, a two-course lunch and an afternoon coffee break.
SPEAKERS
DOUGLAS McMASTER (UK)
Chef, owner and founder of Silo London, world's first zero waste restaurant (originally located in Brighton). Named "Britain’s Best Young Chef" by the BBC at the beginning of his career, he was awarded the Innovative Chef Award by The YBFs in 2012. McMaster has worked in renowned restaurants such as St. John, The Fat Duck, and Noma. Today, he is a globally recognised figure for his work in food system innovation and waste reduction.
RYAN WALKER (UK)
Ryan Walker works as the Head of Research and Development at Silo restaurant. As a fermentation expert, he transforms surplus food into valuable and delicious products, helping to reduce waste and overseeing the sustainability of the business. He led the creation of Silo’s Fermentation Factory, a facility dedicated to recycling food waste and promoting sustainable innovations, making him a leading voice in the global zero waste movement.
VOJTECH VEGH (SK)
Vojtech Vegh is a zero waste and plant-based chef and author of the book Surplus: The Food Waste Guide for Chefs. He opened his own zero waste restaurant in Cambodia in 2018, and now his work is focused on helping other chefs reduce food waste in their kitchen by shifting the perception and mindset around food waste.
MICHAELA ČIHALÍKOVÁ (CZ)
Michaela Číhalíková Straková is the director of the non-profit organisation Zachraň jídlo, which has been focusing on reducing food waste since 2013. Under her leadership, the organisation spreads awareness of sustainable eating and, through campaigns and educational programs, organises the rescue of surplus food and promotes its more efficient use.
CHERRY TSUI (CA)
Born in Canada to a Hong-Kongese household, Cherry found a love for gastronomy early on, which led her to an education in pastry arts. In time, pastry brought her to Europe, where she worked in Michelin kitchens. Those years opened her eyes to the potential for ingredients to be both a delicacy and discard. Currently, she runs the laboratory at Little Red Door, where she playfully pushes the boundaries of flavour and expression within cocktails.
MATĚJ VÝBOCH (CZ)
Matěj works in the KRO restaurant as a cook, where he supervises the fermentation and production of circular products such as bread miso, bread shoyu, or tamari. He previously worked as a bartender and barista. He is also a husband and father, a runner and cyclist in his spare time.
LARA DUNNETT (UK)
Lara Dunnett is a research analyst in the Food Team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Lara works closely with small businesses and startups that are creating nature-positive food products as part of the Foundation’s Big Food Redesign Challenge which brings together ambitious producers, retailers, start-ups, and suppliers to design new food products – or redesign existing ones – to regenerate nature.
ERIK CEHLÁR (CZ)
Erik's alma mater is Eska Karlín. As a self-taught person, he began to discover new flavours associated with fermentation, which slowly became his main job at Goodlok, the brand he helped cocreate together with other colleagues. With regard to gastronomy, his biggest inspiration is Japan, but he is still Slovak at heart.
Petr Alexander (CZ)
For two decades, Petr worked in medicinal chemistry and drug development in Dr. Holý's laboratory. Together with Ondra Kopička, he founded the Landcraft distillery. In addition to working with natural materials, a significant part of their work involves repurposing what others discard. Collaborating with a wide range of growers, producers, and processors, they come up with and create unique flavor combinations in (mostly) alcoholic beverages.
Blandine Paris (FR)
Blandine is a chef at Refettorio Paris, a community kitchen and a restaurant that forms a part of a larger network of Food for Soul, an NGO created by chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore. At Refettorio Paris, gourmet dinners are cooked by professional chefs solely from unsold and surplus food for people in situations of poverty and social exclusion.
PAVEL FUCHS (CZ)
Pavel is an innovator, a product designer and a master of user experiences. In the past, he founded Rekole bikesharing, the manGoweb studio, or the juicery and ferment lab Goodlok. Currently, as CTO, he is working on KiloMayo - an operational system for gastroenterprises.
Vanda Kofroňová (CZ)
Vanda Kofroňová is an economic editor and a freelance moderator. You could see her on the Czech TV screen, where she plans to return after her current parental break. She also teaches presentation skills based on her long experience as a theatre improviser.
harmonogram
9:10 – 9:30
Open door
9:30 – 9:45
Introduction
9:45 – 10:30
Ryan Walker, Douglas McMaster - Waste is a Failure of the Imagination
Restaurant SILO challenges the food industry to rethink waste not as a byproduct but as a resource. In this talk, the creative minds behind the first world's zero waste restaurant share insights on transforming waste into opportunity, inspiring a shift to sustainable practices that redefine hospitality’s impact on the environment.
10:30 – 11:00
Blandine Paris - Reviving Ingredients, Rebuilding Community
Restaurant Refettorio Paris transforms surplus food into gourmet meals for those in need. Its Head chef shares her approach to using creativity and culinary skill to give discarded ingredients a new purpose, inspiring a shift in how kitchens can fight food waste, reduce social inequalities and bring back dignity to the table.
11:00 – 11:30
Coffee break (30 min)
11:30 – 12:00
Vojtech Vegh - Cultivating a Zero-Waste Mindset in the Kitchen
What does a zero-waste mindset truly mean in the kitchen, and how does the human element impact food waste prevention? In this session, we’ll uncover the untapped potential in every ingredient and the crucial role of shifting mindsets—the most challenging change of all.
12:00 – 12:30
Lara Dunnett - What if your food could build biodiversity and help tackle climate change?
The current food system operates to feed the growing global population but often at the expense of biodiversity, ecosystem health, and rising greenhouse gas emissions. Circular design for food offers a solution to climate change that can benefit farmers and businesses, and allow nature to thrive.
12:30 – 13:45
Lunch (75 min)
13:45 – 14:15
Pavel Fuchs - From Waste to Resource: Startups Redefining Food
An exploration of innovative startups worldwide that address food waste and convert side streams into valuable products. This talk will highlight how technology and creativity are driving sustainable change, reducing waste, and creating new possibilities within the food industry. Discover the groundbreaking approaches reshaping how we produce, consume, and value food resources for a more sustainable future.
14:15 – 14:50
Panel discussion: Erik Cehlár, Petr Alexander, Matěj Výboch, moderator Vanda Kofroňová
A panel discussion with pioneering producers who use fermentation and a creative approach to transform food waste and byproducts into valuable, unique products and beverages. Discover how these innovators are crafting items like fermented sauces, bread miso, pickled vegetables, artisanal vinegars, and special drinks from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.
15:00 – 15:30
Michaela Číhalíková - Zachraň oběd: When Cafeteria Surplus Makes a Difference
In every company cafeteria, up to 15 uneaten meals go to waste daily, despite the energy and resources invested in their preparation. What if, instead of throwing these meals away, we donated them to those who truly need them? Through partnerships with logistics companies and our own mobile app, we’re changing long-established habits.
15:30 – 15:50
Coffee break (20 min)
15:50 – 16:20
Cherry Tsui - How to realistically reduce waste and aim for sustainability in the face of green-washing
There are various ways to approach sustainability, but first we must be honest, especially in a time of greenwashing and social washing, to acknowledge that it is impossible to be 100% zero waste. Instead, the question becomes how do we - within the world of cocktail bars - focus on doing what we can to reduce waste in the day-to-day functions.
16:20 – 17:00
Panel discussion + Q&A: Ryan Walker, Douglas McMaster, Cherry Tsui, Blandine Paris, Vojtech Vegh
17:00 – 20:00
Networking in VIN–ÁRNA, with a selection of natural wines from Alma, music
thank you for your support
