The Scoop On the World’s First Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week

On June 18, 2017, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and UNESCO launched Sustainable Gastronomy Day, now celebrated annually to promote food security, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and biodiversity conservation.

This year, the World Food Forum, FAO’s movement to transform agrifood systems through youth, decided to take it a step further by launching the first ever Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week, June 17 through 24, 2024.

“Sustainable Gastronomy Day was always one of the United Nations days that interested me the most and I wanted to find ways to celebrate it with intention while also highlighting youth—so what better way to do that than feature chefs working in sustainable gastronomy under 40 around the world,” says Lindsey Hook, Head of Culture, World Food Forum, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

You’ve most likely seen or partaken in a restaurant week in your city or town where top restaurants offer special menus, to market restaurants during slower periods and to encourage diners to come out and spend money. However, Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week’s plan is quite the opposite. “I find that restaurant weeks around the world tend to focus more on money and fine dining in one specific area but this restaurant week highlights young chefs in the industry—from restaurants to bakeries, and even popsicle shops around the world that cater to any budget, making it accessible for more people,” says Hook. The restaurants and chefs are diverse and unlike other restaurant weeks, this one is worldwide.

Food aside, Hook notes that the end goal is to educate the public about the important role of youth by way of sustainable gastronomy, and food waste, specifically. “It’s a useful exercise for chefs to communicate more about the sustainable practices they may otherwise take for granted,” she says. “More Taste, Less Waste” is the theme, reiterating that delicious, seasonal food and minimizing food waste can co-exist in the same space.

“I think some people think that sustainable gastronomy means a high price point but if you think about the origins of gastronomy and food culture, it usually goes back to how our grandparents and great-grandparents learned to cook,” says Hook. “Many grew up in rural areas during periods of war where food was scarce and no local products could afford to be wasted,” she notes. “Historically, in Italy, for example, some of the most iconic dishes in the country’s food scene today like Tuscan ribollita or Florentine lampredotto sandwiches have their roots in ‘cucina povera’ or ‘poor cooking.’” Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week aims to connect the dots and bring people back to these roots, highlighting what’s in season in a specific location and that good food doesn’t have to break the wallet.

It’s not just fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants. The participants span from elevated seasonal dinner menus to gelato, and even no-waste cocktails. Valerio Esposito, of Gelateria Tonka (Aprilia, just outside of Rome) created innovative flavors for this year’s restaurant week. “He really took every element of waste into account, from broken cones to used coffee grounds—and even went as far as collaborating with a local micro bakery owned by a young woman to utilize unsold bread,” Hook says.

The menu at Il Marchese (Rome) will highlight mocktails crafted by bar director Fabrizio Valeriani, utilizing every part of the citrus fruit in inventive, refreshing ways. Ristolab, in the province of Salerno, in southern Campania, will focus on lost and forgotten indigenous wild foods of the Cilento region. In Sweden, partners Matan Levy and Charlotte Nycander of Two Forks (Malmö) chase the seasons and work with local growers, brewers, and food innovators to showcase the nuances of their area. A member of the Malmö Food Council, the first food council of the Nordics, the duo also worked with the World Food Forum to coordinate the Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week in their own city to bring it to life.

While the majority of participants are located in Italy, in Rome in particular, the goal is to expand globally with a sizable list of exciting options. This year there are a handful of restaurants and chefs in alignment from Greece, the United States, Ireland, Sweden, England, Indonesia, and Benin. “Starting next year we will open a global public call to chefs under 40 around the world to participate in Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week,” says Hook. “The call is open to every country and every region, without discrimination, and will be presented with an easy-to-scale and implement format, which is crucial for its growth,” she adds.

This year, Hook notes that most of the restaurants already practice sustainable gastronomy—but you don’t have to already be sustainable to join the movement. “In the future I would love to see it inspire and push less sustainable restaurants to improve,” she says. “I believe it can be a catalyst to change our agrifood systems on the consumer side by involving both the hospitality industry and its consumers to make better choices on both ends—and that’s where transformation begins.”

On the World Food Forum’s site, learn more about each restaurant and how they’re participating. If you’re traveling around in one of these cities, be sure to pop in and take part of the first Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week:

Rome, Italy: Tonka, Il Marchese, Moma, Tulipane, Mercato Centrale, Ruma, DLR (Dopo Lavoro Recreativo)

Cilento, Italy: Ristolab

Athens, Greece: Manu

Dublin, Ireland: Glas, Overends Kitchen

Malmö, Sweden: Folket Pops, Two Forks

London, England: Silo, EDIT, Petersham Nurseries

Portland, Maine, United States: Honey Paw, Ugly Duckling, Chaval

Bohicon, Benin: Les Secrets, Signature by Lady D

Jakarta, Indonesia: Juicible by Surplus

“I’m excited for the world to hear about it,” says Hook. “It’s something people are getting excited about and it warms my heart when so many people come together with us at the World Food Forum toward the one goal of transforming agrifood systems through the power of young people—which I think is really shown concretely with Sustainable Gastronomy Restaurant Week.” If you miss out on it this year, be on the lookout for next year, at the same time, with many more spots around the world and growing.