Entrepreneurship

France

Alessandra PIERINI

From Italy, she lives in France since 25 years and promotes the most prestigious Italian ingredients and tributes Italian producers. She held a restaurant in South of France and actually she is the owner of “RAP épicerie” the reference for Italian food shops in France. Passionate about gastronomy, she shares her experience, her heritage and her commitment to the Italian food culture and terroir through lectures, cultural initiatives, books and events.

Sweden

Britt-Marie STEGS

Sixteen years ago, Britt-Marie Stegs developed a new concept for Swedish quality meat and that became the foundation for Hälsingestintan® – to offer and make available Swedish quality meat to conscious consumers around the country. Since then Britt-Marie has been working on developing the optimal production chain for quality meat. With help of a mobile slaughterhouse animals are not transported before slaughter. Instead, a mobile abattoir carries out the slaughter in the animal´s farm environment thereby avoiding stressful transportation for the animals. This improves animal welfare and creates an ethical quality meat. Hälsingestintan® investment in mobile slaughterhouses for full-grown cattle is the first in Europe.

The company is currently pioneering digital traceability across the entire chain from specific animal to consumer. This ensures fully documented information for consumers who can instantly access comprehensive data on the origin, welfare, slaughter and shipment of the product at the touch of a keypad.

USA

Barbara LYNCH

Barbara Lynch is a cheffe and restaurateur. In 2014 she was the second woman to be awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, which honors “a working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and ownership.”

Barbara Lynch Gruppo, founded by Chef Barbara Lynch, is a collection of entities that includes Boston restaurants No.9 Park, B&G Oysters, Sportello, The Butcher Shop and Menton, Boston’s first and only Relais & Châteaux property; as well as the catering company 9 at Home, Stir, a demonstration kitchen and cookbook store, and Drink, a bar dedicated to the craft of the cocktail.

USA

Gabrielle HAMILTON

Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef/owner of PRUNE, which she opened in New York City’s East Village in October 1999.  PRUNE has been recognized in all major press, both nationally and internationally, and is regularly cited in the top 100 lists of all major food magazines.

Gabrielle was nominated for Best Chef NYC in 2009 and 2010 by the James Beard Foundation and in 2011 won the category.

She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, which has been published in six languages and won the James Beard Foundation’s award for Writing and Literature in 2012.

She won her third James Beard award in 2015 for her/the piece “Into the Vines” published in Afar. Most recently, she wrote the New York Times bestselling cookbook, Prune, featuring 250 recipes from her East Village restaurant.

Italy

Emanuela STUCCHI-PRINETTI

Emanuela grew up between Milan and the estate of Badia a Coltibuono, then owned by the paternal grandmother Marilù Giuntini .

After studying performing arts science at the faculty of Performing Arts in Bologna (DAMS) she specializied in classical singing  and  worked for  some theatrical and cinema  productions (OPERA by  Luciano Berio,  La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi  for a movie by Franco  Zeffirelli).

In 1989 she moved to Badia a Coltibuono, following the birth of her first son Emanuele, and began  working at the winery, initially in the field of Marketing and Communicatios , then picked up responsibility for  worldwide sales.

She was the  first woman to have become president of the a consorzio of wine producers : Consorzio Chianti Classico, Marchio Storico, in the  year 2000.

Marocco

Dr. Zoubida CHARROUF

Zoubida Charrouf, Professor in the Science Faculty of Mohamed V. University, in Rabat, Morocco is quietly trying to explain some of the hurdles she faces.

“People accuse me of three things. They accuse me for having helped women get out of their homes. They accuse me for having improved the extraction of argan oil. And they accuse me of being interested in a tree that belongs to ordinary people, not to academics.”

“I didn’t know that I bothered people … well, I knew that I did, but I didn’t know quite how much.”

India

Dr. Vandana SHIVA

Philosopher, activist, writer and anti-globalization author, Dr. Vandana Shiva plays a major role in the global Ecofeminist movement.

She has authored more than 20 books an she received the Right Livelihood (ALTERNATIVE NOBEL PRICE) Award in 1993, The Blue Planet Award in 2007, The Save The World Award in 2009, The LennonOno Grant for Peace in 2008, The Sydney Peace Prize in 2010 and numerous other prizes.

United Nations

Dr. Cristina FRANCHINI

Cristina Franchini holds a law degree and a PHD in international law.

She started working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2007, as a legal officer, at the beginning in the area of arrivals by sea and reception of asylum seekers and then, for many years, in the Italian procedure for the determination of international protection.

Now she works for UNHCR in the area of communication and external relations.

France

Dominique LOISEAU

Dominique Loiseau is a woman of many talents. Trained as a biochemist, teacher and food specialist, she met Michelin-starred chef Bernard Loiseau in 1986. Together they managed his hotel and restaurant La Côte-d’Or (now called Relais Bernard Loiseau). Three children and a third Michelin star later she was appointed hotel director, then administrator of Bernard Loiseau S.A. when the company was listed on the stock exchange.

In 2005, Dominique Loiseau was appointed Vice-President Relais & Châteaux, becoming the first woman ever to hold this position.

In 2008 the Government of France admitted her as Knight of the Order of the Légion d’honneur, the highest honor in France, in recognition of her work as restaurateur.

USA

Dominique CRENN

Dominique Crenn transforms memories into food in her poetic, modernist and imaginative restaurant, Atelier Crenn, which was the first restaurant with a female head chef to be awarded with two Michelin stars in the USA.

She lectures widely, including at Harvard, and attends many conferences all over the world.

Dominique Crenn received the “2015 Augie Leadership Award” from the Culinary Institute of America and she was awarded as “2016 Best Female chef in the world” by “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants”.

She holds a degree in Business and Administration.

Italy

Massimo BOTTURA & Lara GILMORE

Massimo Bottura

Over the past twenty years, Chef Massimo Bottura has become a leading figure among Italian chefs and a globally respected innovator and restaurateur. Osteria Francescana was awarded a third Michelin star in 2012 and currently is ranked second on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2014 Phaidon Press released Massimo Bottura’s first English language book Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef. The NETFLIX project CHEF’S TABLE, launched at the end of April 2015, featured a documentary on Osteria Francescana by Jiro Dreams of Sushi director David Gelb. From May until October 2015, Massimo Bottura took a leading role in EXPO Milano through his project Food for Soul at the Refettorio Ambrosiano. For the occasion, the chef invited colleagues from around the world to cook for the homeless using recycled waste from Expo. A documentary entitled Theater of Life will be released in June 2016 by Canadian Triplex Films and the Film Board of Canada. Massimo is continuing his work with Food for Soul by facilitating the opening of refectories in Turin, Bologna and an undisclosed location outside of Italy.

Lara Troly Gilmore

Lara Gilmore was born in Washington, DC in 1968. Before meeting her husband and chef, Massimo Bottura, she worked in New York at the avant-garde performance space The Kitchen and at Aperture Magazine. After a fateful encounter with the chef in 1993 in New York City, she moved to Modena and the couple opened Osteria Francescana two years later in 1995. Lara and Massimo have a shared passion for contemporary art that has altered the look of the restaurant over the years and tainted the kitchen with ideas from outside the culinary forum. Over the past twenty years, Lara has help translate Massimo’s vision into a narrative dialogue. To this day she testifies that her real job is “running after Massimo.”

Greece

Maria VLACHOU

Maria is the CEO of Fereikos-Helix, a company that oversees the development of organic snail farming globally and CEO of Maria Vlachou LTD, specialising in the branding, packaging and export of Greek high quality agricultural products. Fereikos-Helix is among the National Champions of the 2013 European Business Awards and was the first company in Greece to participate in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme.

In 2011, Maria was awarded the Greek Entrepreneur of the Year prize and in 2013, she was included in the Fortune list of “40 under 40” in Greece. In addition, she is on the advisory board of Hellenic Start-Up Association and mentor at several start-up initiatives, as well as an Endeavor Global Entrepreneur. Maria speaks 9 languages and has studied foreign languages and literature at Federico II University, Naples, and holds a PhD in Comparative philology from the University of Porto.

Italy

Luciana DELLE DONNE

A manager with a background in banking, with significant experience in Change Management and Strategic Innovation in the fields of technology and organization. She has been Head of Division at Banca 121, Head of Innovative Channels at San Paolo IMI Wealth Management and in charge of the Service Platform for Product Companies (WM).

After 20 years working in finance, in 2006 she decides to devote herself to a very different cause: making differences between people an asset, and transmitting confidence and enthusiasm to those living in conditions of hardship or the social disadvantaged. She launched the brand “Made in Carcere” (Made in Jail) with the aim of promoting cultural models able to generate a new drive for change.

Italy

Licia GRANELLO

From Turin, she has been writing for Repubblica since 1981. After twenty years as special sports correspondant, in 2001 she chose to become food editor, dealing with food and eating in the very broadest terms, from nutrition and organic farming to haute cuisine. Since 2004 she has had her own two-page Sunday column called “I Sapori” (flavours). Licia teaches Nutritional Anthropology at the Università Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples.

In 2007 her book “Mai fragole a dicembre” (No more strawberries in December) was published. In 2012 “Il gusto delle donne” (The flavors made by women) and “Don Alfonso 1890”. Her latest book is called “I Sapori d’Italia dalla A alla Z” (The flavors from Itali from A to Z) is a tribute to the the stunning Italian pantry and to the Italian producers.

Lebanon

Kamal MOUZAWAK

Arab social innovator, Awarded in 2008 by Monocle Magazine as one “New Heroes-Worldwide”

Founder of Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon’s first farmers market, Kamal is a son of farmers and producers, who grew up in gardens and kitchens, tasting life, food and fruits at their source.

After a major in graphic design, Kamal followed the paths of food and travel writer, macrobiotic cooking teacher, healthy cooking TV chef … That all lead to more involvement towards social and environmental change.

Since its first days in 2004, Souk El Tayeb had the vision of celebrating food and traditions that unite communities; promoting small-scale farmers and producers; and advancing the culture of sustainable agriculture.  Today’s Souk El Tayeb is an institution that includes a weekly farmers’ market; regional food festivals; educational and awareness programs; the “Beit” project, which focuses on preserving regional culinary and architectural traditions that include “Beit Douma” and “Beit El Qamar”; and lastly, the Capacity Building Program, which aims to personally and financially empower under privileged communities by teaching self-confidence, culinary skills, food safety, and marketing & branding …

Joanna Savill

Joanna Savill is a longtime journalist and events director who specialises in food, travel and gastronomy. She has written for most major food publications in Australia, edited the country’s most prestigious restaurant guide and presented a long-running TV series on Australia’s many diverse food cultures, farmers and artisan producers.

She is widely known for her support of all aspects of the food and restaurant industry – from the farm to the table – and for her deep concern for our food future.

She has supported Parabere Forum since the first edition in Bilbao and is a strong champion of its objectives.

Mexico

Zahie Tellez

Zahie dining experiences produces easy to understand gastronomic experiences, resulting from a successful walk through the Mexican and Italian cuisine enriched by their Lebanese-Mazatlan roots and the practical study of many world cuisines and ingredients. Her knowledge, empathy, ease of words and presence has successfully led her gastronomic experience to television (six seasons at The Gourmet and apprearance at THE CHEW), taught undergraduate courses (CEESA), made countless demonstrations, presented at food festivals abroad (India, Italy) and guided numerous appreciation and food pairing events.

Zahie is also a Brewery Master Sommelier. Successful entrepreneur in “Jose Guadalupe Platos de Cuchara” is proponent of Mexican cuisine of modern technique and great quality. Zahie frequently appears on radio, television as well as in newspapers and magazines articles.

Denmark

Trine HAHNEMANN

Trine Hahnemann is a well-known personality in Danish food and food culture. As the owner and CEO of Hahnemanns Køkken she is behind about 3000 daily lunches in private and public companies in the Copenhagen area. The company works towards a sustainable lunch. A chef and food writer, she is an enthusiastic advocate for sustainable solutions, organic sourcing and food cooked with love.

Trine spends her time cooking, writing, and is often used as a keynote speaker across the world. She has talked and cooked at TEDxKrakow and at The Nordic Council of Ministers event at Rio+20.

She is the co-founder of the on-going Rye Bread Project launched in NYC. Trine has written nine cookbooks in her native Danish and also four in English.

UK

Thais Compoint

Thais Compoint is a Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity Consultant with over 15 years of a solid international experience across industries.

She received the 2015 Diversity Leader Award by the prestigious American “Profiles in Diversity” Journal, as one of the diversity officers who advanced Diversity & Inclusion in the corporate world.

She led successfully the Diversity & Inclusion strategies at Vinci, Coca-Cola Entreprises and Cisco. Prior to that, she worked as a Senior Socially Responsible Investment Analyst and as a Senior Corporate Social Responsibility Auditor for Vigeo, Europe’s Leading social and environmental rating agency.

Thais was born and raised in Brazil, lived half of her life in France, and is currently based in the UK, after having lived in Spain, Italy and the US. She speaks fluently 5 languages and has an education background in Law, International Relations and Human Rights. She is married, has three adorable teenagers and loves practicing meditation and yoga.

Brazil

Teresa CORCAO

After graduating from St. Martins School of Arts (London), Teresa took a different career direction and joined one of her sisters as chef and co-owner of the family restaurant (Rio de Janeiro) “O Navegador”. In 2002, she launched the « Cassava Project » to protect and promote the most significant cultural asset of Brazil’s indigenous peoples. Through the project, Teresa teaches school children how about the preparation of this key ingredient through history, music and folklore.

In 2007 she founded the Maniva Institute, a pioneering NP which uses gastronomy as an instrument of social change.

She has received a number of awards, including in 2010, the Humanitarian Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, in Portland, Oregon.

Denmark

Susanne HOVMAND-SIMONSEN

Since 2007 Susanne has carried out the greatest transformation of organic agricultural production in the history of Denmark, introducing a new way of understanding agriculture. Nowadays she has transformed Knuthenlund not only into a benchmark agricultural farm, but also into a centre for the dissemination and teaching of the organic culture.

Knuthenlund, with a tradition of almost 300 years, was established in 2007 as an organic farm, thanks to the transformation carried out by Susanne, in which she aims to offer high-quality organic food combined with caring for nature, and which, today, is the largest organic farm in Denmark

Brazil

Roberta Sudbrack

Sudbrack’s determination to make haute-cuisine with simple and local ingredients made dining at her former restaurant “Roberta Sudbrack” (Rio de Janeiro) one of the best experiences Brazil.

Her keyword is respect and her cuisine has only 3 ingredients: hands, fire and brains.

That says it all.

Roberta was the first chef cooking at Brazil’s presidential palace and her former restaurant “Roberta Sudbrack” was ranked N°25 in 2016 by the “Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants” and holded a Michelin star.

She was awarded as “2015 Best Latin American Female chef” by “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants”.