Keynote speakers

Food, Place & the quality turn in Foodscapes – mediation of quality in food chains

Professor, University of Southern Denmark.

A local or place based quality turn in foodscapes are widely discussed as a potential pathway in developing a more sustainable food production and consumption.  For the farmers it is seen as a way out of the race to the bottom treadmill of rationalization and industrialization, and for the consumers as a way to a more healthy and sustainable diet. However place, local and quality are very contested notions in this debate,  and the quality turn seems most dominantly to take place in what is often labeled as alternative or short supply chains. The questions to be discussed in this key note are what role does place play in this quality turn, and to what extent can the existing food chains bee enrolled in developing more sustainable foodscapes.  In his talk Egon Noe will take departure in a relational understanding of quality based on the ideas of Robert M Pirsig. These ideas will be illustrate by a range case studies from the European era net project HealthyGrowth headed by Egon Noe.  Professor Egon Noe, is head of The Danish Research Centre for Rural Research, University of Southern Denmark 

Foodopia – what Global Food Citizenship can do for the planet and our humanity

Dr. Harald Lembke is the Director of the International Forum Gastrosophy and lecturerer at Interdisciplinary Centre for Gastrosophy. Food - Culture - Society, University of Salzburg.

Eating for the future of the planet and our humanity? Everyone knows, the ways we produce and consume food continue to ruin our bodies, lifes, communities and our planet. As a species, humanity face an anthropocenic challenge without precedent. Either we take the step to a new level of human self-understanding so that we learn to shift from modern 'Fast Food' era to futuristic 'Good Food' civilization. The talk explains this neohumanist convivialism, its already existing or arriving powers, agents and collectives of cosmopolitian food citizenship. Harald Lemke is the director of the International Forum Gastrosophy and lecturerer at Interdisciplinary Centre for Gastrosophy. Food - Culture - Society, University of Salzburg Österreich

Formal and Fine Dining - why are we fascinated about it? A review of it’s history and relevance

Our world has become increasingly renown for individual fine dining in restaurants and hotels with worldwide reputations served up by “celebrity Chefs” with the highest skills of the craft coupled with modern science being used to create phenomenal dishes. Denmark and Copenhagen with a number of Michelin-starred establishments is one of the world’s leaders in this new look public gastronomy. It is worth recalling how this has developed from the formal dining to a high standard found at Banquets and Dinners for several hundred guests over the Centuries, often in the magnificence of famous buildings. Paul Herbages presentation will take the form of an illustrated personal and informal review of the topic.  The presentation will review the history, tradition and relevance of formal dining from the days of antiquity right up until our modern 21st Century world. Paul Herbage is the past Master of the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London who have been involved in preparing and serving these feasts for over 500 years

Entrepreneurship and creative skills in the food sector 

CEO of Homemate, Eric-Alan Rapp is now a confirmed key note speaker 

Digitalization is rapidly changing the way we shop for food. Omni channel selling of food is one of the signs of this transition that require new abilities, mindsets and innovation skills and readiness to change among all actors of the food system. Entrepreneurship is believed to be one of the important skills that will be increasingly needed also for scholars in the food sector. Eric-Alan Rapp is the co-founder and CEO of omni channel retail food company Homemate ApS, a ready-to-cook food concept that is growing rapidly in and around Copenhagen, Denmark. Homemate ApS is a Copenhagen-based omni channel retail food company selling ready-to-cook food to consumers via both e-commerce and physical locations. The talk on digitalization and transition of food shopping will explore the notions of entrepreneurship and creative skills. It will discuss how these skills in the case of Homemate can assist in reaching the goals of becoming a leading e-commerce provider in Northern and Western Europe. The talk will present learning insights from my failures as well as from my successes.