In a significant step for global food education, renowned Swiss chef Daniel Humm has been appointed as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Goodwill Ambassador for Food Education. On September 25, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced the appointment at a ceremony held at Humm’s three-Michelin-star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, in New York. The move highlights the role of food in sustainable development and environmental protection.
UNESCO
“Daniel Humm is much more than one of the world’s most gifted chefs. He is a passionate advocate for sustainable nutrition, who has staked his career on his beliefs, defying the skeptics, and proving to us all that the finest cuisine can be an ally in protecting our precious planet,” Azoulay said in a statement. “A luminary in the culinary community, there is no one better placed to promote the powerful connections between food and education.”
As part of his new role, Humm will advocate for food education, a core focus of UNESCO’s environmental and health education programs. His work will involve promoting the safeguarding of intangible cultural practices and protecting natural heritage and biodiversity as it relates to climate change. Humm’s advocacy will extend to global platforms, including speaking at international conferences such as this year’s COP in Colombia.
“I am deeply honored to join UNESCO as Goodwill Ambassador. The language of food is so powerful, and together, we will work to demonstrate how choices around food can create solutions and empower future generations, as well as to bring further awareness to indigenous culinary traditions and their critical role in sustainability and food equity,” Humm said in a statement.
Humm will also emphasize the importance of UNESCO sites that preserve agricultural, culinary, and gastronomic traditions, including World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves, and UNESCO’s 350 Creative Cities, 56 of which are designated as “Cities of Gastronomy.” In June 2024, he visited the Champlain-Adirondak Biosphere Reserve in Vermont, where local initiatives focus on educating the youth about sustainable nutrition.
One of Humm’s first major initiatives as a Goodwill Ambassador will take place in January 2025, when he will collaborate with fellow UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Chef Mauro Colagreco for a public plant-based dinner aimed at raising awareness of sustainable food practices. Additionally, Humm will contribute to the development of the UNESCO International Food Atlas, a project designed to document and protect culinary traditions and foodways listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Eleven Madison Park
Daniel Humm’s foray into plant-based cuisine
Born in Switzerland in 1976, Humm began working in restaurant kitchens at 14 and earned his first Michelin star by the age of 24. After moving to the US in 2003 and working at San Francisco’s Campton Place, he became the Executive Chef at Eleven Madison Park, which earned the number one spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. Beyond his culinary success, Humm is co-founder of Rethink Food, a nonprofit aimed at creating a more equitable and sustainable food system, which gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic when his restaurant served thousands of meals to food-insecure New Yorkers.
Evan Sung
Humm’s commitment to sustainability and plant-based cuisine has been at the forefront of his current culinary career. In 2021, he transitioned Eleven Madison Park to a fully plant-based menu. His efforts reflect his stance of being “not anti-meat, but pro-planet,” highlighting the role of food choices in addressing global challenges like climate change and food security.
“We took the jump to transform Eleven Madison Park into a plant-based fine-dining restaurant knowing in our hearts that this is what we believed in,” Humm said at the time.
In October 2022, the Michelin Guide revealed that Eleven Madison Park would retain its three Michelin stars, becoming the first plant-based establishment in the world to hold the honor of all three. “Last night, we were honored to be awarded three Michelin stars for the 11th year in a row,” Humm and his team posted to Instagram. “I am so beyond grateful to the team that’s with us here now and every member who contributed through its nearly 25-year history. We are also grateful to our guests and partners who believed in our vision and encouraged us to push harder.”
Jodi Hinds Food Photographer/Instagram
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What’s next for Daniel Humm and Eleven Madison Park?
The chef continues to push boundaries beyond the kitchen. This October, Humm is set to open a new bar in collaboration with renowned Italian painter Francesco Clemente. Inspired by Zurich’s moody, sophisticated Kronenhalle Bar, the highly anticipated Clemente Bar will feature Clemente’s artwork and Humm’s plant-based approach, creating a space where art and food intersect in innovative ways. “We still believe so much in the craft of cooking and bringing it to a certain level, but wanted to do it in an environment that felt cool and personal,” Humm told The New York Times. “The one thing we said we wanted it to be is a place of joy, of people coming together.”
Eleven Madison Park
In November 2024, Humm will release his new cookbook, ELEVEN MADISON PARK: The Plant-Based Chapter, which captures the full metamorphosis of his iconic restaurant into the first plant-based kitchen to earn three Michelin stars. The limited-edition set comes in three volumes: Drawings, featuring Humm’s own recipe-inspired illustrations; Recipes, which includes detailed instructions for the restaurant’s seasonal menus accompanied by Clemente’s watercolors; and Backstage, a photographic exploration by Ye Fan, documenting the restaurant’s journey from the pandemic to its grand reopening.
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Aruka Sanchir (@ruukes) is the Senior Digital Editor at VegNews.
