Single Thread restaurant and farm***, Northern California

Katina: “As a farmer, I dedicate my life to producing food for the chefs I work with and for my community. My work as a farmer ensures that I am humble towards nature and our earth. There’s a growing interest and awareness about the origin of our food. As a farmer, it is my responsibility to inspire people to connect more deeply with nature and show them how hard we work to produce food.”

Kyle: “Before we started Single Thread Farm, we lived in different places around the world. We chose to open our restaurant and farm in Northern California so we can grow food year-round and be in control of our own food system. People often refer to our company as: Single Thread restaurant and farm - in that order. For me it's the other way around, the farm comes first. As a chef I have realized that it is not my responsibility to promote my own creativity in the kitchen. I want to give farmers the respect they deserve and make their hard work visible to our guests. Katina and her team spend months producing something that I only have in my kitchen for a few hours.”

“I am from India but have been working in Dubai for the last eight years. Over the past two years Covid-19 has made us realize how dependent we are on other people's food systems. Due to the coronavirus crisis, basic ingredients were suddenly no longer available. Dubai is a city in the middle of the desert where everything is imported. The products that are naturally used in European and American gastronomy never arrive 100% fresh. We therefore have to look for other beautiful products that radiate luxury and exclusivity, but that we can grow locally. For example dates or hibiscus. For the past two years more and more small farms in Dubai are popping up in Dubai, which - despite the extreme heat - still manage to produce beautiful products. Chefs in Dubai have to look for ingredients that can be exclusive for our region.”

Trèsind Studio, Dubai

Ikoyi*, London

“I didn't start cooking because sustainability is important to me. I started as a cook because I love good taste and good food is my passion. I fell in love with the romance of working in a kitchen and in top restaurants. As I started to become a better chef, I began to understand that taste is related to the quality of produce, soil health and agriculture. Taste and sustainability are coherent; it's one thing. Now sustainability is important to me, but that is not the main message of my restaurant. I don't want the message to take away from the restaurant experience. If guests want to know more, I'll explain - but I overload them with information. If you give too much information, people won't take in anything anymore. I let the message be told through the dining experience. The biggest responsibility for the future is to share my story with other chefs so that they fall in love with produce. Because if you start to love good products, you will automatically fall for the right food system.”