We’ve selected five of our favourite food-focused talks for your culinary inspiration.
Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish
In a well-researched and sometimes hilarious speech, Dan Barber attempts to address a key difficulty chefs today face: how does a restaurant keep fish on the menu? Given that 90 per cent of the sea’s big fish (tuna, salmon, halibut) has been wiped out, how can this wonderful and nutritious food be kept part of a dynamic menu? Barber argues charismatically that when sourcing food restaurants must look to local and sustainable solutions. By shifting focus to the quality of the ecological and commercial relationships, we can start restoring our world’s depleting resources. Sustainable equals delicious.
How to cut an onion: Cynthia Lair
We’re all familiar with the sentiment that cooking is an act of love. In this talk, author and teacher Cynthia Lair shares how one’s attention, thoughts and emotions go into food when you prepare it. Through stories of her students and herself, Lair explains how cooking can be meditation, and how when you’re paying attention to the present, the food actually does taste better. Lair says, “The food is begging you to be here and now.” A terrific insight into the psychology of cooking and how you, too, can add a little more thought into your food and make it taste better in the process. And yes, Lair does show you how to properly cut an onion.
A vision for sustainable restaurants
As chef Arthur Potts-Dawson states, the hospitality industry is more or less the most wasteful in the world. But it won’t be shrinking anytime soon, so what can a sustainable restaurant look like? While maintaining the quality of the menu, Potts-Dawson shares his visions for how a business can take responsibility for not only the sustainability of its food, but its energy sourcing, interior and space. One of his top tips for doing this is creating a menu that allows patrons to choose the quantity of food they want to consume, rather than placing a dish before them that they will likely not finish. A great source of inspiration for an earth-friendly business.
The convergence of casual and fine
CEO of the highly successful Union Square Hospitality Group Danny Meyer has been in and around restaurants his whole life. Because of this, he has had a front-row seat to the many changes that have shaped the industry during this time. The biggest evolution in hospitality, he says, is the convergence of casual and fine dining. Meyer explains this change, how it is shaping food culture today, and takes us through the surprising history of restaurants and fast food. As the meaning of restaurant is “to restore”, Meyer ultimately argues that to keep your business relevant you must be restorative, no matter what your concept is. For a 17-minute video, this fascinating talk covers a great deal.
Thomas Keller is the owner of 10 successful restaurants and bakeries and in this powerful talk, he shares his tips for running a good business through the underrated value of “connectivity”. He advocates building relationships in the kitchen, the dining room and around the country, and explains how this can ultimately create important and memorable experiences for staff and patrons.
