Taste The Revolution: An Obsessed Expo First & Chef Academy Graduation
Marking three years of our Obsessed revolution, we’re still buzzing from our very first Obsessed Expo. With five immersive studio spaces, guests explored the future of food, as they got an exclusive look at our food culture and a sneak peek into what’s next for sustainable nutrition.
The event, hosted at Protein Studios, brought bold flavours, big ideas and great energy. We teamed up with Urban Organics to create an immersive edible garden where our teams, clients and consultants were wowed with mushroom and truffle custard served in eggshells, and crispy sourdough lavosh topped with charred lettuce and Noble Bee honey.
We flipped the script on tech, showing off a new state-of-the-art culinary portal with tools to help our chefs manage recipes and track nutrition. At the Society beverage bar, cocktail legends Dan Fellows, Jana Slamova and Chloe Walsh gave guests a flavour of society’s new look and joined forces with Extract, serving up serious strawberry vibes, with refreshing strawberry batcha and strawberry and grapefruit pa-low-ma.
The main stage was giving main stage energy with captivating guest speakers and visionary leaders sharing their inspiring stories and talking all things sustainable nutrition. Guests included Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Fasie Malherbe, founder and CEO of Feed Me Seymour, James Reid co-founder of social enterprise Fink, Josh Eggleton, Chef Partner and restaurateur, and Paul Newnham, CEO of SDG2 Advocacy Hub and Chief Beans Officer.
Our Obsessed truck made its return – and it didn’t disappoint! Chef partner, Hannah Catley was behind the wheel (and oven) dishing out bakery treats that had everyone coming back for more. Our chef crew went all in on the sustainable nutrition brief, with dishes including Jack Buck Farm crispy celeriac and potato terrine, black onion and walnut choux buns with Barber’s Cheese custard, and Chalkstream trout with cucumber jelly and Exmoor caviar.
The event continued into the evening, with our biggest Chef Academy graduation ever. The energy was electric as 100 chefs walked the stage, 85% of which received distinctions. Over 200 people showed up to cheer on the graduates and party into the night.
Some of our powerhouse women – Leanne Collins, Kim Short, Paola Loi and Jess Simpson, were invited to the stage as they received special recognition awards, applauding them for their craft and creativity. Head chef, Martin Fisher also took home the Spirit of the Academy Award.
The Chef Academy is a jam-packed 12-month farm to fork adventure supported by HIT Training and Inspiro, from hands on masterclasses with our chef partners, to getting stuck in at our Obsessed Lab, nestled in the Newbury countryside.
Simon Attridge, Culinary Director at Claridge’s, and Paul Newnham, gave inspiring talks about their careers and passion for sustainable nutrition.
Chef partner, Jenny Chandler, couldn’t stop smiling: “I love the work I do with you. Bringing life to nutrition through joy and creativity. It’s a real honour to be here celebrating with you all and to recognise your hard work and commitment to learning”.
The after-party was a tasty success – we don’t do things half-hearted. Our chefs took charge of the canape menu, treating guests to smoked lamb with naan and garam butter, Lake District lamb wellington with Waste Knot piccalilli, and citrus and broad bean miso cured trout. FUEL traders brought the flavour with Fink, Ebeneezer Sogunro, Jou Jou Bites Taiwanese Street food and Wave Gelato, sound-tracked by a live band.
To wrap it up, CEO Ronan Harte said: “I’m delighted to celebrate each one of our Chef Academy graduates and their achievements. The Academy culture underpins everything we do – taking the best people and investing in them to create something really special. Today has been a moment to galvanise our teams, create momentum and shout loud and proud about the difference we are making”.
