NEW HAVEN, Conn. — As the realm of chefs’ influence expands beyond the walls of the kitchen, internationally acclaimed chef René Redzepi has teamed with Yale University to head a new leadership institute.
The founder of MAD, a Danish non-profit dedicated to improving food culture, will pilot the program at Yale University next spring. “Our goal is to help chefs take action,” said Redzepi, “Partnering with Yale is an opportunity to realize the potential we believe chefs have to influence how we eat now and in the future. Combining this with the university’s fantastic legacy and educational resources we think can provide a new knowledge base, one that has often been overlooked, that will reinvent the leadership role of chefs in initiating new conversations on topics like kitchen culture, sustainability, inclusiveness and respect.”
In the first year of the program, six to eight chefs and leaders in the foodservice community will be chosen to develop the curriculum during a week-long summit. The following year, the program will be expanded to host up to 18 attendees. Education will take the form of lectures, workshops, seminars as well as visits to nearby farms, kitchens and food-system innovators.
