New Nestlé Professional Award celebrates top chefs’ sustainability focus

Chefs from across the globe have a chance to win the new ‘Green Spatula’ Award by Nestlé Professional at this year’s Global Chefs Challenge Finals, which will be held during Worldchefs Congress & Expo in Singapore.

The world’s top chefs competing in the Global Chefs Challenge, Global Young Chefs Challenge and Global Vegan Chefs Challenge categories will be automatically entered for the award to showcase their culinary experience and demonstrate their ability to adopt sustainable practices in their creations.

One winner from each challenge will be selected by a jury who will decide based on two themes: waste management, and energy and water optimization.

The Nestlé Professional ‘Green Spatula’ Award, in collaboration with the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (Worldchefs), will be presented for the first time at the Global Chefs Challenge Finals award ceremony on October 25.

“Our newly created award is an additional recognition for chefs and culinary professionals, which will not only honor and celebrate their greatest culinary experience creations, but also illustrate their additional efforts to apply sustainable practices in their work,” said Cornel Krummenacher, Global Head of Food at Nestlé Professional Strategic Business Unit.

During the cooking challenges, a panel of judges will assess the chef competitors on how they limit and control food waste, focusing on practices such as repurposing scraps, or their use of mise en place – where all ingredients are measured, cut, peeled, sliced and grated before cooking.

“Sustainability is no longer just a trend in the culinary world, but a necessity,” said Rick Stephen, Chairman of Worldchefs Culinary Competition Committee. “The new Nestlé Professional ‘Green Spatula’ Award is a critical step in recognizing chefs who lead by example in sustainable cooking. Through competitions like the Global Chefs Challenge, we’re encouraging chefs to push the boundaries of sustainability, not only in the dishes they create but in how they approach resource management in their kitchens. It’s about minimizing impact while maximizing innovation.”

The jury will also observe how chefs optimize their use of energy and water, noting good practices such as alternative ways of preparing meat or fish, lids placed on pots during cooking, and the use of recyclable or reusable containers.

“The topic of sustainability is increasingly important in a chef’s profession,” explains Emmanuel Lorieux, Global Executive Chef at Nestlé Professional. “From our ingredients selection in our creations to how we manage waste – this all not only impacts the quality of our culinary dishes and recipes, but also influences how we manage our kitchens,” he added.

Ana Aragon, Nestlé Professional Sustainability and Nutrition Manager, will co-present the ‘Green Spatula’ Award at the Congress, as well as presenting ‘Sustainability on your plate: Make it Real’ – sharing practical insights and tips on how culinary professionals can optimize their professional kitchen.