Training Chefs To Think Sustainably

By Karine Hyon Vintrou, Managing Director of École Ducasse (www.ecoleducasse.com)

Sustainability is no longer a peripheral issue in gastronomy. It has become a prerequisite for credibility and responsibility.

Amid growing environmental pressure, resource depletion, and rapidly evolving societal expectations, the role of the chef is no longer limited to elevating a product: it begins well before that, with the choice of ingredients, and extends far beyond into the management of resources and waste.

Training chefs today therefore means teaching them to think sustainably, from the very conception of their cuisine.

A New Responsibility for Gastronomy
Gastronomy occupies a unique position in the ecological transition. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “19% of food available to consumers is wasted at the retail, food service and household levels,” while the global food system accounts for around 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the restaurant sector, these figures translate into very concrete realities: stock management, supplier selection, seasonality, portion control and waste recovery.

In this context, the chef becomes a key player in this transformation, not an activist, but a conscious professional capable of making responsible choices without compromising gastronomic excellence. This new responsibility calls for a profound evolution in culinary education.

From Product to System: Rethinking Sourcing
Training for sustainability begins with a shift in how we view the product. For a long time, gastronomic excellence was built around access to rare ingredients, sometimes sourced from far away. Today, this logic is being questioned.

If we look at France – where I am based – according to a study by ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition), food alone accounts for nearly 25% of the carbon footprint of French consumers, mainly due to production and transport methods. Learning to source locally, work with committed producers, understand agricultural cycles and respect seasonality therefore becomes a strategic skill.

For future chefs, this means being able to design menus based on what nature offers at a given moment, adapting creativity to the constraints of nature, and building long-term relationships within their local ecosystem. This is no longer a limitation, but a new form of creative freedom.

Tackling Food Waste: A Core Professional Skill
Reducing food waste is not merely a moral or economic issue; it is also a matter of expertise. In France, the restaurant sector generates around one million tonnes of food waste each year, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Training chefs to think sustainably means teaching them to design circular kitchens: using products in their entirety, intelligently repurposing surplus, adjusting portion sizes, and rethinking menus that are too long or overly complex. This requires a holistic approach, combining culinary technique, operational organisation and a strong sense of responsibility.

A chef who is well trained in these areas can reduce environmental impact while improving the profitability of their establishment. Sustainability thus becomes a lever for performance rather than an additional constraint.

Respecting Seasonality as a Pedagogical Act
Respecting seasonality is not a step backwards, but a deeply contemporary act. At a time when everything seems available all year round, teaching seasonality helps restore meaning to time, rhythm and anticipation.

For culinary students, working with seasonal produce develops an essential ability to adapt: renewing creativity, accepting limitations and reinventing recipes. It is also a lesson in humility in the face of the living world, an essential value in a profession often driven by the pursuit of recognition.

According to a study by Interfel, seasonality is the primary criterion for consumers when purchasing fruit and vegetables. Training chefs with these expectations in mind means preparing them for an increasingly informed and conscious clientele.

The Role of Culinary Schools: Passing on a Sustainable Vision
In the face of these challenges, culinary schools bear a major responsibility. Sustainability can no longer be treated as an optional module or a theoretical discourse. It must be embedded across the entire educational approach: from product choices to working methods, from student projects to the economic models studied.

At École Ducasse, we believe that sustainability is inseparable from excellence. Our students are encouraged to think concretely about sourcing, waste management, the impact of their culinary choices and their responsibility as future leaders in gastronomy. They learn to integrate these dimensions from the very first stages of designing a menu or a restaurant concept.

Training chefs to think sustainably means giving them the tools to build a gastronomy that is responsible, desirable and economically viable.

The food transition will not happen without chefs. But it will not happen without a profound evolution in their training either. Teaching sustainability does not limit creativity; it gives it structure, direction and meaning.

Today, schools have a duty to prepare a new generation of chefs capable of reconciling culinary excellence, environmental responsibility and societal commitment. Only then will gastronomy continue to inspire, bring people together and fully play its role in society.