Chef's Collaborative 2000 Charter: Food for Life!
"We, the undersigned, acknowledging our leadership in the celebration
of the pleasures of food, and recognizing the impact of food choices on
our collective personal health, on the vitality of cultures and on the integrity
of the global environment, affirm the following principles..."
o begins the Charter and Statement of Principles for
the Chef's Collaborative 2000, a project by gourmet chefs from around the
world to advance sustainable food choices for the next century. Food luminaries
such as Wolfgang Puck, Paul Prudhomme, Jacques Pepin, Susan Feniger and
Nobu Matsuhisa have joined well over 50 other world-class chefs worldwide
to promote the fact that food is fundamental to life and that choices we
make every day relating to food have impacts on ourselves, our culture and
our environment.
On November 10, a special signing of the charter, including
a gourmet dinner and presentation by John Robbins will be held in San Diego.
Michel Stroot, head chef of the world renowned Golden Door Spa, will host
the event at the Carmel Valley Doubletree Resort. The evening's festivities
begin at 5:30 PM with light refreshments, followed by a gourmet vegetarian
lasagne dinner prepared by Health Classic chefs. At 7:15 PM, guests will
witness the signing of the Chef's Collaborative 2000 Charter by gourmet
chefs based in San Diego. Musical entertainment will be offered at 8 PM
by singer/songwriter Karl Anthony.
The dinner and signing will be followed by a presentation
by John Robbins. Robbins is the author of the Pulitzer prize nominated bestseller
Diet for a New America - How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness
& The Future of Life on Earth, and the recently published May All be
Fed (see article about Robbins above).
The Charter is the brainchild of Boston-based Oldways
Preservation and Exchange Trust, a nonprofit education organization. The
San Diego event is a joint effort of San Diego Earth Day and Santa Barbara-based
Fall Health Classics, one of America's foremost presenters of preventive
and wholistic health and environmental conferences. The event is being coordinated
locally by Randl Rupar, a San Diego Earth Day volunteer.
Tickets are $35.50 per person. Proceeds will benefit
San Diego Earth Day and the contribution is tax deductible. Call (619)272-7370
to make reservations.
Chefs Collaborative 2000 Statement of Principles
- Food is fundamental to life. It nourishes us in body and soul, and
the sharing of food immeasurably enriches our sense of community.
- Good, safe, wholesome food is a basic human right.
- Society has the obligation to make good, pure food affordable and
accessible to all.
- Good food begins with unpolluted air, land and water, environmentally
sustainable farming and fishing, and humane animal husbandry.
- Sound food choices emphasize locally grown, seasonally fresh and whole
or minimally processed ingredients.
- Cultural and biological diversity is essential for the health of the
planet and its inhabitants. Preserving and revitalizing sustainable food
and agricultural traditions strengthen that diversity.
- The healthy, traditional diets of many cultures offer abundant evidence
that fruits, vegetables, beans, breads and grains are the foundation of
good diets.
- As part of their education, our children deserve to be taught basic
cooking skills and to learn the impact of their food choices on themselves,
on their culture and on their environment.