Keynotes

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Born in Puglia, in the south of Italy, Chef Cristina is not the typical Italian woman, nor the typical Italian chef. Instead of hewing to merely traditional Italian dishes, she found it much more interesting to innovate her native cuisine using outside influences. A visit to the United States sparked this desire. After studying foreign languages and then graduating with a law degree, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked at Higher Grounds coffee shop. The multitude of ethnicities in the city – and their flavourful cuisines – all served to inspire her to pursue a culinary career. As a hobby, while working as a graphic designer, she opened a catering company called The Two Skinny Ladies.
After reading about Elena Arzak’s success and realizing that women did have a place in the professional kitchen, Chef Cristina moved to Austin, Texas, where she attended Le Cordon Bleu. She then worked at several restaurants, including the prestigious Driskill Grill. But the lure of home drew Chef Cristina back to Italy, where she first worked at Convivio Troiani and then later opened Glass Hostaria in Rome. Because of her constantly curious approach to cooking – to seek inspiration anywhere, be it the grocery store, the street, or another restaurant – has led to a constantly evolving menu. And her innovative take on regional Italian fare garnered her three forks from the Gambero Rosso guide and a Michelin star.
Chef Cristina’s kitchen style is the result of experiences, travels, meetings, culinary training and studies, always been the primary source of inspiration. Chef Cristina’s cuisine is a cultural crossing that tells about taste through the constant dialogue between traditions, cultures, memory and places.
She wrote her first book in 2014, “Da Cerignola a San Francisco e ritorno la mia vita di chef contro corrente ” Mondadori and her second one in 2019 “the Chef meets the Artist” published by Maretti Editore. Both books underline the strong her strong personality. Her commitments are notorious and tackle several fronts, starting with training and teaching.
One of the projects that is most important to her is “Adopt a Hotel Institute”, within the #fareformazione, the Memorandum of Understanding aimed at improving and expanding the training offered in Hotellerie and Management schools. This project has been signed by Chef Cristina as President of the Italian Association “Ambasciatori del Gusto”, one of the most renown Association in Italy representing the restaurant business of which Chef Cristina is one of the founding members and President since 2016.
Chef Cristina has always tried to represent a role model for women in the professional world which privileges male representation, undervaluing female skills and professionality.

Prior to pursuing his passion for a more experimental form of gastronomy by establishing Kitchen Theory, Chef Jozef had worked his way up some of the London’s top Michelin starred restaurants and luxury hotels including Helene Darroze at the Connaught, The Dorchester Hotel as well as a placement at The Fat Duck.
Jozef is the founder of Kitchen Theory, an experimental culinary research and design studio specialising in multisensory interactions. For almost 10 years Chef Jozef has worked with the head of Oxford University’s Cross Modal Department, Professor Charles Spence (Gastrophysics, Penguin 2017) to understand and research the field of gastrophysics – gastronomy + psychophysics - the understanding of how our senses alter our perceptions of flavour and taste. Chef Jozef is amongst the most established practitioners to specialise in applying the research in this fascinating emerging field to curate experimental dining events and corporate consulting as well as impact research projects exploring how the science can be used to encourage healthier or more enjoyable eating experiences to those most vulnerable – i.e. children, blind, hospital patients. Chef Jozef is a regular public speaker; speaking at talks, conferences and workshops across the hospitality, innovation, retail and design fields. He is a TEDx speaker and has been featured on documentaries, televised interviews, radio interviews and his work and events have been extensively covered in print and online. Bio and examples of media coverage can be found here: https://www.kitchen-theory.com/staff-member/jozef-youssef/ and here: https://www.kitchen-theory.com/in-the-press

John Regefalk, Researcher Chef and Head of Culinary Innovation at BCCInnovation, Technological Center of the Basque Culinary Center, in San Sebastián, Spain.John also works as professor at the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences of Mondragón Unibertsitatea, teaching theoretical and practical classes on modernist techniques, culinary creativity, international gastronomy and restaurant trends.John is of Swedish origin and started his career working with traditional French and Swedish cuisines, later to continue his training in some of the best restaurants in Sweden under the principles of the New Nordic Cuisine. John has more than 20 years of experience of cooking in different restaurants internationally, highlighting the work developed at Noma (Copenhagen), RyuGin (Tokyo), or Metamorfosi (Rome), as well as his broad gastronomic perspective and expertise in different cuisines. At BCC Innovation John specializes in the conceptualization, design, development and validation of new food products created in accordance with current trends, using both traditional and cutting-edge culinary techniques and incorporating new ingredients while paying attention to the consumers’ perception and feedback.

Currently, Fernando Cameira is Product & Process Development Manager at Fromageries Bel Portugal S.A., cheese market leader company in Portugal that is part of the French group that owns “The laughing caw” brand. His professional daily mission is to create disruptive new products, always with a strong commitment of taking care of consumer and planet earth.

Doctor of Telecommunications Engineering has developed a large part of his professional career at Telefónica, always linked to the development of new business areas and international expansion. He is also involved in the profitability of projects and investments and alternative financing mechanisms. Since 2018 he has directed “UAM Emprende”, the entrepreneurship unit of the Autonomous University of Madrid, especially its incubator for spin-offs based on Scientific Knowledge.

Degree in Technological Chemistry from Science Faculty of Lisbon University. Currently and since march 2013
as Applied Research Manager, with experience on Academia-Company interface management including contributing to the creation of Collaborative Laboratories, namely CoLab4Food. Wide understanding of SUMOL+COMPAL, across several domains (as a result of different functions, technical and management, within the company since 1992).

Ph.D., Chemical Doctor working in Barilla since 1998, from 1999 to 2020 he has covered many roles within the Raw Materials Purchasing Department and now is now as “Global Supply Chain, Purchasing Director”, in charge of Packaging and Promotional Materials Sourcing. He is in charge of the global Sustainability program on Sourcing Chains and is part of the Foundation Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN).

Dr. Amatullo is the current President of Cumulus, the leading Global Association of Art and Design Education and Research. As an Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design, New York, her teaching and research are focused at the intersection of the design and management fields with an emphasis on the role of design as a cognitive capability for innovation in organizations. In addition to her role at Parsons, Dr. Amatullo serves in the Provost Office as one of its Vice Provosts overseeing the executive education and online delivery of programs in the Continuing and Professional division of The New School. Prior to joining The New School, she co-founded and led the award-winning social innovation department, Designmatters, at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Dr. Amatullo publishes and lectures internationally about design and social innovation, serving on a variety of executive, editorial, and advisory boards in design and the arts. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow, a Fellow with the Royal Society of the Arts, and the recipient of numerous awards including the inaugural 2012 DELL Social Innovation Award for Outstanding Social Innovation Education. Dr. Amatullo’s writing is on design for social innovation, her most recent publication presents a global survey of the field: Design for Social Innovation: Case Studies from around the World (co-editor; Routledge, 2021). Amatullo holds a Ph.D. in Management (Designing Sustainable Systems) from Case Western Reserve University; an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Licence en Lettres Degree from the Sorbonne University, Paris, where she also studied Art History at L’Ecole du Louvre. A native of Argentina and the child of a diplomat, Mariana grew up around the world.

Martí Guixé (Barcelona 1964)
Formed in Barcelona and in Milan as an interior and industrial designer.
In 1994, living in Berlin, he formulated a new way to understand the culture of products. Guixe started to exhibit his work in 1997, work that characterizes on the search for new product systems, the introduction of design in food ambits and presentation through performance. He is based in Barcelona and Berlin and work as a Designer for worldwide companies. Recent publications: Casa Mondo: Food, Corraini Edizioni, 2021 (ISBN 9788875709655), On Flower Power, Corraini Edizioni, 2019 (ISBN 978-88-7570-799-6), Transition Menu, Corraini Edizioni, 2013 (ISBN 978-88-7570-392-9), Martí Guixé, Food Designing, Corraini Edizioni, 2010 (ISBN 978-88-7570-249-6), Martí Guixé Cook book, Imschoot Publishers, 2004 (ISBN 9077362045) and Don ́t buy it if you don ́t need it. All Marti Guixe ́s Camper Com- modityscapes, 2007 (ISBN 13 84 609 9135 0). Exhibitions at MoMA (New York), MuDAC (Lausanne), MACBA (Barcelona), La Galleria Nazionale (Rome) and Centre Pompidou (Paris). Ciutat de Barcelona Prize, 1999. National Design Prize of the Generalitat de Catalunya 2007 and Madrid Design Festival Award, 2018. Since 2014 professor of Food Design in the Scuola Politecnica di Milano, SPD. Since 2021 curator of the book collection Unevaluated Essays,Corraini Edizioni.

AWAF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2021 and WAA General Secretary since 2015. Former Board Member of the Italian National Council of Agronomists and Foresters (CONAF) from 2008 till 2018; during this period he has been Coordinator the Department of Landscape and Land Planning and the Coordinator of the Department for the protection of the title of the profession and deontology. Former member of the Management Board of PEFC Italy (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) from 2010 till 2018. Degree in Forestry Sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture, Florence University in 1989. Member of the Order of Agronomists and Foresters of the Province of Novara since 1989 with n. 46. He is a freelance professional forester consultant, founder member of Studio Silva S.r.l, an engineering firm, of which he is currently the managing director and project manager. He has worked in forest resources planning and management has also gained significant experience in design and environmental consulting, urban planning, construction management, redevelopment of degraded areas (consolidations, green areas restoration), as well as spatial planning of protected areas (parks, nature reserves, Natura 2000 sites). He is a Technical Consultant of the Court of Novara and Verbania. He was Director Expert in forestry, appointed by the Piedmont Region at the Park and Natural Reserves of Maggiore Lake and the “Lame del Sesia” Park.

Patrizio Cionfoli has been Director of Design and Interaction at the innovation agency Studio Volpi (Italy) since 2018 leads Design team based in Italy and China. He is responsible for design strategies that can generate innovation and business growth by design innovation that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands as Alessi, Illy, Lavazza, Artsana, Berkel, Midea, Haier, Duracell, Leonardo. In 2020 he took part of Design Days in New York with Piero Lissoni, Gaetano Pesce, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Marco Piva. In 2021 he was interviewed by The Italian Innovators podcast tells the stories of great modern Italians in the fields of fashion, technology, business, music and design from the 19th century to the present. In 2021 he was published in a design book from Lavazza “Lavazza Design People” by V.Briatore. In 2021 lead “Technology and Trends” at 1st conference symposium at “Istituto Italiano Tecnologia di Genova” with Mauro Porcini, Francesco Morace, Stefano Marzano , Sonia Massari, Giulio Ceppi. Patrizio started his career at Whirlpool as a product designer for home appliances. As head of the dishwasher design team, he created a strong product identity. In 2010, he took over as head of design for all of Whirlpool’s European refrigerators. In 2016, Patrizio was named global lead designer for Kitchen Aid. Later he led Global Brands and designers for Indesit, Hotpoint, Ikea, Privileg, Acros, Consul and Bauknecht.
His washing machine concept BioLogic was exhibited at the Triennale di Milano, the Louvre in Paris and the Design Museum in Beijing. His work has won many international design awards. His work “Prèt à Portèr-fabric refresher” has been showcased at the Louvre in Paris during fashion week. He is also a trend researcher and part of the steering committee of the Politecnico di Milano in Product Design, visiting professor at Scuola Politecnica di Design, Il sole24 ore and Politecnico di Milano.

Born in Olhão came to Lisbon to study law. He entered law school, but fate changed his laps the day he took him to the newsroom of INTER Magazine. Person of words and ideas, he discovered a world that was destined for him: gastronomy. First as an intern and then as an editor. With a lot of energy and pulsator ideas, he accepted the challenge of buying this title and taking it to a unique level in Portugal. With strong character, he is a born entrepreneur. He started the Edições do Gosto project 20 years ago and with it were born some of the most successful events aimed at gastronomy and restaurant profes-sionals in Portugal. At the same time, INTER Magazine, always. In 2013, he was considered by the sup-plement of the newspaper Público – Fugas – as one of the 20 most influential personalities in the Portu-guese gastronomic universe. In 2018, he was distinguished by the Revista de Vinhos as the Gastronomic Personality of the Year. Already in 2022, inaugurates the Manja Marvila, a kitchen-studio that is the stage of the most varied gastronomic experiences and home of the Edições do Gosto.

Dr. Paz García is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) where she develops her research in green extraction, purification and characterization of bioactive molecules from alternative sources. Nowadays, there is a major awareness in society about the development of greener and more sustainable processes coupled to revalorization of biomass framed in a circular bioeconomy to slow down the environmental impact that human activities have on the planet. Thereby, exploitation of alternative and plant-based materials as new sources of bioactive compounds with applications in different biotechnological industries is the aim of her research. In this sense, microalgae have emerged as a cherished and sustainable source of value-added products. She applies ecofriendly protocols and green solvents to efficiently extract healthy lipids and antioxidants from microalgae with nutraceutical purposes. She also modifies the bioactives with enzymes to improve their characteristics and to create functional foods. Due to her willingness to apply her knowledge to produce healthy products with application in the Food industry, Dr. Paz García joined the UAM Emprende program imparted by Ivoro Ventures for food researchers. In this new stage, she wants to bring science to society in a funny and appealing way through innovation in food design of functional foods while developing a whole process which is in agreement with Global Trends and sustainability.

Pedro Alvarez is co-founder and CEO of ivoro, food innovation hub based in Madrid, where he advises food companies and startups to accelerate innovation, become more competitive and grow with profitability and sustainability. Pedro is a venture builder and early stage investor in agrifood, innovative CPG and Foodtech in Spain, Israel and USA, and also shares deal flow with different investment and corporate venturing funds interested in these areas. He is part of the #EUeic jury team for the EIC Accelerator Pilot acceleration program in Brussels and its ambassador for Spain. Mentor for eit food, CSIC and UAM’s Emprende program. Drives the Spanish and European #Foodtech ecosystem with various initiatives.

Rick (H.N.J.) Schifferstein is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of Delft University of Technology. His topics of interest include (multi)sensory perception, food design, and experience-driven innovation. He contributed to 75+ papers in international scientific journals, including Acta Psychologica, Food Quality and Preference, Chemical Senses, Materials & Design, and International Journal of Design. He is principal editor of the International Journal of Food Design, and co-editor of the books Food, People and Society (2001), Product Experience (2008), From Floating Wheelchairs to Mobile Car Parks (2011), and Advanced Design Methods for Successful Innovation (2013). He is founder and director of the Food & Eating Design Lab https://delftdesignlabs.org/food-design/  in which staff members and design students work together to improve people’s interactions with their daily foods.

Steven M. Finn is Vice President of Sustainability and Public Affairs for Leanpath, the global leader in integrated hardware and software solutions for food waste prevention, where he helps clients take control of their food waste while engaging their employees in creating a culture of food waste prevention.  He is a member of the Leanpath leadership team with extensive experience in food waste reduction and prevention strategies, speaking frequently at industry events, providing education and guidance to client partners and internal teams, and managing Leanpath’s 12.3 Initiative program. Steven has conducted extensive research into the problems of global food waste and food security while developing innovative public-private partnerships to capture and redistribute excess food to mitigate hunger.  He recently served as an advisor to the Governor-appointed SUNY Task Force on Food Insecurity, while also participating on a multi-disciplinary SESYNC (National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center) research team investigating the impact of food waste on the environment.  On the academic side, Steven teaches graduate courses on innovation for sustainability and the food-water-energy nexus at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University in the U.S.  He is the author of several articles on food waste and has served as a Director for three non-profit organizations in the food sector.  He is the author of the blog “Food For Thoughtful Action.” Steven holds a BA in Economics from the University of Delaware, an MBA in Finance from West Virginia University, and the MSOD and MPHIL degrees in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sonia Massari has more than 20 years of experience as a researcher, lecturer, consultant, and designer in the fields of sustainability education, food design and innovative agri-food systems. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Experience Design from the Engineering Department at the University of Florence, Italy. For 12 years, she was the Academic Director of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Food Studies programs in Rome, and she designed and coordinated more than 50 academic programs and 150 educational activities on food and sustainability for prestigious international institutes. She teaches at several universities around Europe. She is a faculty member at the Scuola Politecnica Design – Food Design Master Program, she teaches at ISIA Design School (graduate course: “Sociology of Changes. Design for the emergent food scenarios”) and at Roma Tre University – graduate course: “Sustainability Design Thinking”.She is a senior consultant at the Barilla Foundation and a Academic Director at the Future Food Academy. She received the International Women Innovation Award “Tecno-visionaria” (2012), the NAFSA TLS Knowledge Community’s Innovative Research in International Education Award (2014), and the Food Studies ASFS Pedagogy Award (2020). She is a board member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal Food Design.

Biological engineer and postgraduate in management by Minho University, Vitor Alves has developed the last 17 years of his career at Frulact, linked to the food and beverage research & development and project management. In the last years, assumed the position of Senior Research Specialist at the Applied Research & Technology team where assumes the management of innovative and strategic projects in the areas of food ingredients, technologies and processes.