Meet the Winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Social Responsibility Award

Providing a picture of Portugal’s rural northern landscape, the dish not only champions hyper-local ingredients, but also showcases regenerative agricultural processes that are being introduced with soil health and climate in mind. The importance of collaboration shines through, with local growers and producers brought to the forefront, as well as stakeholders throughout the wider food system. Artur also understands that social responsibility is just as important as financial and environmental considerations, if restaurants are to continue to attract the best young talent and provide an inspiring and positive work environment.  

“I am honoured to have received this recognition that is so important to me,” said Gomes. “Social responsibility should be a collective commitment that goes beyond our restaurant. With my dish I wanted to show how sustainability should start from our communities, our artisans and the region. My hope is that through sustainable constructions, regenerative farming, and resource management we aren’t only regenerating this land but also this community.” 

Thoughtful sourcing 

Artur was meticulous in his sourcing; all the ingredients for his dish came from within this single valley and were grown within the bounds of organic or regenerative principles. For elements that wouldn’t be in season at the time of the competition, we were impressed that Artur planned ahead, preserving or fermenting to ensure they could still feature in his dish. 

Artur’s dish is deliberately vegetarian and designed to showcase a humble ingredient: the celeriac. This is abundant in the region, and the practice of preserving root vegetables in stone basements is commonplace. 

The mushrooms are grown by Artur himself. Taking into consideration Portugal’s huge demand for – and consumption of – coffee, Artur began collecting leftover coffee grounds from local cafés and used these as a natural, nutrient-rich soil for the mushrooms, growing them on the walnut trees that grow in the valley. These trees also provide the perfect environment for rare black truffles, which grow here in unusual abundance.  

Deep roots and local connections 

What shines through Artur’s dish is his deep connection to the wider food system. Not only does his recipe showcase local producers and farmers, but other businesses in the community, too, including the cafés and coffee shops from whom he sources his leftover coffee grounds.

Artur understands that social responsibility means that chefs need to broaden their focus, looking outside their own dishes, menus or restaurants to consider how they fit into their communities as a whole. This means celebrating local artisans and traditional techniques. Everything from construction to farming is connected, and many different elements need to be considered when serving food. Artur’s choice of cooking in locally crafted, traditional Portuguese ceramic pots demonstrates how he thinks beyond the food itself to consider how his dish can also be a celebration of local craftmanship and traditional cooking methods.

Artur understands that sustainability is about more than environmental factors, and that social considerations are every bit as critical. Making the restaurant industry a more responsible work environment is high on his agenda; factors such as work-life balance, proper compensation and eliminating abuse must all be addressed to keep the industry alive in a socially responsible way. 

Low impact, no waste 

As illustrated through his dish, Artur believes that the only way for fine dining to survive is by eliminating waste. “It must be the normal way.” Artur’s attention to detail is impressive, and he ensures ingredients are used to their maximum capability. Celeriac trimmings are turned into nuggets, while skins are used to create a stock that forms the basis for a glaze. The celeriac stalks are pickled and the leaves kept fresh for decoration. Walnut milk and pulp are used in making the tuile, and mixed with truffle skins to make a ‘snow’ for the crisp. Anything left over at the end (like stock or pulp that can’t be used elsewhere) is given back to the local farmers from whom Artur sources ingredients. This adds extra nutrients to their compost, demonstrating a fully circular model of dealing with food waste. 

Even Artur’s cooking methods were designed to be low impact. Steaming food with local hay in locally sourced ceramic pots is a traditional cooking method used in the region for centuries. This method also allows Artur to mimic sous-vide cooking techniques without the need for vacuum packs or plastic. 

No single-use materials were used in the preparation of the dish, and even transporting his ingredients to the Regional Final was done in a sustainable way – using Tupperware and other reusable containers. 

As mentioned, Artur sources ingredients from producers who use regenerative farming techniques. This is important to him because of the benefits these methods bring to soil health, having an overall positive impact on the valley’s precious ecosystem. 

Young Chefs and the food of the future 

It’s heart-warming to see young professionals like Artur consider their craft from all angles — Sourcing, Society and Environment — to present dishes that celebrate their locality and have a positive impact on the world around them. The S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition does a great job of supporting and encouraging the next generation of culinary creatives to take a considered and responsible approach in their kitchens, inspiring new definitions of what it means to be a chef today. 

Our Managing Director Juliane Caillouette Noble said, “We’re proud to assign this edition's Award to Artur Gomes. Providing a picture of Portugal’s rural northern landscape, the dish not only champions hyper-local ingredients, but also showcases regenerative agricultural processes that are being introduced with soil health and climate in mind. Artur understands that social responsibility must go hand in hand with financial and environmental responsibility, if restaurants are to continue to attract the best young talent and provide an inspiring and positive work environment.” 

Massive congratulations to Artur Gomes for his well-deserved win. We look forward to seeing what you do in your future career.