Sodexo Cook For Change Winners Announced

Last night at Vision Hall in London, Sodexo announced the winners of their Cook for Change competition.

Consisting of nine finalist chefs from eight countries, Sodexo’s culinary challenge champions a commitment to healthier and more sustainable food and celebrates creativity and individuality of each chef.

The well-deserved winners were:

Chef of the Year- Robert Janse, Sodexo Netherlands

Culinary Innovation Award- Gordon Carberry, Sodexo UK & Ireland

Impact at Scale Award- Randall Prudden- Sodexo USA

Thierry Delaporte, Sodexo Group CEO said: “Cook for Change! illustrates our deep-rooted belief that food is both a powerful lever for positive impact and a driver of performance for our clients. Thanks to the commitment and creativity of our chefs, we help reduce our clients’ indirect emissions while meeting the rising consumer expectations around nutrition, health and taste. This initiative demonstrates that performance, enjoyment and sustainability can absolutely go hand in hand.

Each finalist created a recipe that expresses their culinary identity, while placing plant-based ingredients at the centre of the plate and focusing on seasonality, nutritional quality and reduced carbon footprint. The finalists and their dishes were as follows:

• Peter Brass (Australia): Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Croquette with Herbal TeaInfused Cauliflower Leaves and Cauliflower Purée, Finished with Sweet Potato Chips.
• Ricardo Machado (Brazil): Tian of root to stem Beets, mushrooms and Squash, beetroot reduction and root granola.
• Denisse Galvez (Chile): Slow cooked Cochayuyo (seaweed) confit vegetables, Potato Mille-Feuille and young Sprouting shoots.
• Randall Prudden (United States): The Whole Pumpkin with roasted Maitake Mushroom & Mole Negro.
• Joel Ryan (United States): Vegan Panisse “Poutine” with maitake mushroom hemp gravy and cashew curds.
• Faustine Germain (France): Perfect poached egg, creamed polenta, tomme de savoie, glazed asparagus with a crispy quinoa and sauce vierge.
• Gordon Carberry (Ireland): Miso roasted Parsnip with textures of Parsnip, wild rice, crispy chickpeas and aquafaba mayonnaise.
• Pravin Nanaware (India): “Sustainable Sea & Root” Grilled watermelon sweet potato crisps and candid watermelon marmalade.
• Robert Janse (Netherlands): Smoked Kohlrabi with miso, white bean cream and kombucha beurre blanc.

Congratulations to the winners and each of the finalists who showcased how chefs can rethink local and seasonal ingredients, reduce waste, and shape the future of food. With this culinary competition, Sodexo reaffirms its ambition to make food a lever for positive transformation and business performance for its clients.