Various aspects of food consumption have changed over the years, considerably evolving it, by altering the approach we chefs have towards the ingredients.

The medias have made of food a vehicle of communication throughout the world. Food, and the conviviality linked to it, have contributed to a considerable broadening of people’s horizons – people are, today, much more informed, educated, and interested in gastronomy.

In this context, the profession of the chef has undoubtedly been re-qualified thanks to an increase in attention and communication. At times, though, this has been distracting the chefs who, in some cases ended up losing sight of the purpose of their profession and the respect it deserves.

The pandemic has started a sort of culinary introspection: a moment of great meditation, in which ancient gestures, the memory of taste, and traditional dishes have brought to the fore the importance of food and the revival of old-time rituals. The result is an apparent simplicity, almost always set aside due to the incessant search for the gastronomic avant-garde, which sometimes loses its power in terms of expressiveness and gustatory impact.

There is the need for a more ethical approach to food, a greater respect for the raw materials and for those who produce them, a deepening of knowledge, and for more research and understanding of the peculiarities of each ingredient, so that it can be used in all its versatility. To express their full potentials, chefs have to follow their precepts, be guided only by the seasons, make sure to use all parts of an animal, enhancing its value to the maximum by decreasing food waste to the minimum – thus following a sustainable approach that respects us and the world around us.

Let’s not forget that the profession of chef develops in symbiosis with nature. Patrons aspire to these changes.

Young people’s approach has also changed. If before they were averse to sampling food, now they are very willing to experience and try new tastes – from the most common to the most unusual ones. They came to realise that in order to understand a culture, it is necessary to grasp its gastronomic tradition, which summarizes – perhaps in the best possible way – the customs and habits of a society.

Food, today, is a language that involves everyone. It is the fusion cuisine of trendy restaurants mainly catering to young people, or the novelty of food trucks – a destination for any age group – and finally the gourmet fare, where food becomes a means to express emotions in the same way as an evening of music, an art gallery, or an art exhibition.

Food has by now established itself as a noble art close to everyone, able to reconcile different people and cultures from all over the world. It is beautiful to think that food is the nourishment for the soul, the reliving of past moments, a taste never to be found again, an indelible memory, a unique pleasure.

We may say that food, nowadays, has subverted everything.

Previously, it was “I eat to live”, whereas now is “I live to eat”: from bodily sustenance to a means to transmit emotions.