EssKulturWandel – Further education from the field into the mind

7. Mar 2023

Die Gemeinschaft e.V. is launching Germany’s first educational program geared towards a transformation of the food system

With EssKulturWandel, Die Gemeinschaft e.V. has created Germany’s first cross-sectoral and practice-oriented educational program for culinary actors. The program aims to bring about sustainable change in the food system in Germany.

The food system is one of the biggest levers for many challenges of our time. But its orientation to the future is inhibited by multiple problems, such as missing skilled workers, unattractive apprenticeships and a lack of transparency and exchange. We are in need of an education that empowers and inspires young culinary actors to actively tackle regenerative agriculture, transparent value creation, better working conditions, more collaborations and fair production – in short: a transformation of the food system.

For sustained change in the food system we need to understand how all elements in the value chain are connected: from the fields to the plate. What animal husbandry and feeding has to do with good meat and soil structure, how these soils influence the climate and how regionality and seasonality affect biodiversity. EssKulturWandel intends to increase awareness and understanding of the crucial role of culinary arts and artisanal food production for ecological, social and economic transformation.

This new education program was initiated and organized by Die Gemeinschaft e.V. to connect food craftspeople, kitchens and agriculture, convey practical skills and contemporary theoretical knowledge. “We have a large network of culinary pioneers, who have been forging new paths for a long time,” says Friederike Gaedke, director of Die Gemeinschaft e.V.: “By bringing our members together with young actors as part of EssKulturWandel, we are closing the gaps in conventional training and sharing successful concepts, preserving crafts, inspiring people through knowledge and making our strong network more accessible.”
 


EssKulturWandel
is aimed at young people, trainees and professionals, who are part of the food value chain. The program provides them with the necessary knowledge, tools and a valuable network to allow them to make responsible decisions, to act as multipliers in their organizations and to initiate their own interdisciplinary collaborations, furthering a transformation of the food system. “Companies that empower their employees are creating a supportive and innovative working environment,” says Friederike Gaedke. “They increase their future resiliency and actively participate in fundamentally reforming the food industry.”

 

The program consists of two elements. A practical exchange of participants at a member business in the Germany-wide network of Die Gemeinschaft e.V. and five days of workshops and inputs in Berlin. As part of the practical exchange, chefs, service staff or bakers might get to know the work of a market garden, a butchery, a vineyard or another agricultural business for example – and vice versa. All our members are cutting-edge actors in German gastronomy, agriculture and food production.
In the more theoretical part, all participants will come together in Berlin to learn about the global food system, regenerative agriculture, new work and collaboration models.

Participants will choose a period of two days to four weeks between March and June for their practical exchange. The five days of workshops, seminars and excursions will take place from the 11th to the 15th of May 2023. An online event on June 5th will finish the program.

Applications are now open online. Applications are accepted until March 13th, 2023. This project is funded by the Berlin Senate for Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection.

About Die Gemeinschaft e.V.:

Die Gemeinschaft e.V. is a network of artisan food producers and restaurateurs who are committed to a new food culture: a better food system in which we celebrate real food, produce regeneratively, buy fairly, conserve resources, value craftsmanship, work together mindfully, share knowledge, create better working conditions and promote young talent. The non-profit association was initiated in 2017 by the Berlin restaurants Horváth and Nobelhart & Schmutzig. We connect the country’s culinary actors and provide them with knowledge, skills and inspiration around current and future issues of the food system. They take these back into their everyday work in the field, in the kitchen and inbetween, and drive the change.

Photos: Carla Ulrich & Nils Böddingmeier

EssKulturWandel – Further education from the field into the mind

7. Mar 2023

Die Gemeinschaft e.V. is launching Germany’s first educational program geared towards a transformation of the food system

With EssKulturWandel, Die Gemeinschaft e.V. has created Germany’s first cross-sectoral and practice-oriented educational program for culinary actors. The program aims to bring about sustainable change in the food system in Germany.

The food system is one of the biggest levers for many challenges of our time. But its orientation to the future is inhibited by multiple problems, such as missing skilled workers, unattractive apprenticeships and a lack of transparency and exchange. We are in need of an education that empowers and inspires young culinary actors to actively tackle regenerative agriculture, transparent value creation, better working conditions, more collaborations and fair production – in short: a transformation of the food system.

For sustained change in the food system we need to understand how all elements in the value chain are connected: from the fields to the plate. What animal husbandry and feeding has to do with good meat and soil structure, how these soils influence the climate and how regionality and seasonality affect biodiversity. EssKulturWandel intends to increase awareness and understanding of the crucial role of culinary arts and artisanal food production for ecological, social and economic transformation.
 
 
 
This new education program was initiated and organized by Die Gemeinschaft e.V. to connect food craftspeople, kitchens and agriculture, convey practical skills and contemporary theoretical knowledge. “We have a large network of culinary pioneers, who have been forging new paths for a long time,” says Friederike Gaedke, director of Die Gemeinschaft e.V.: “By bringing our members together with young actors as part of EssKulturWandel, we are closing the gaps in conventional training and sharing successful concepts, preserving crafts, inspiring people through knowledge and making our strong network more accessible.”
 
EssKulturWandel is aimed at young people, trainees and professionals, who are part of the food value chain. The program provides them with the necessary knowledge, tools and a valuable network to allow them to make responsible decisions, to act as multipliers in their organizations and to initiate their own interdisciplinary collaborations, furthering a transformation of the food system. “Companies that empower their employees are creating a supportive and innovative working environment,” says Friederike Gaedke. “They increase their future resiliency and actively participate in fundamentally reforming the food industry.”

The program consists of two elements. A practical exchange of participants at a member business in the Germany-wide network of Die Gemeinschaft e.V. and five days of workshops and inputs in Berlin. As part of the practical exchange, chefs, service staff or bakers might get to know the work of a market garden, a butchery, a vineyard or another agricultural business for example – and vice versa. All our members are cutting-edge actors in German gastronomy, agriculture and food production.
In the more theoretical part, all participants will come together in Berlin to learn about the global food system, regenerative agriculture, new work and collaboration models.

Participants will choose a period of two days to four weeks between March and June for their practical exchange. The five days of workshops, seminars and excursions will take place from the 11th to the 15th of May 2023. An online event on June 5th will finish the program.

Applications are now open online. Applications are accepted until March 13th, 2023. This project is funded by the Berlin Senate for Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection.

About Die Gemeinschaft e.V.:

Die Gemeinschaft e.V. is a network of artisan food producers and restaurateurs who are committed to a new food culture: a better food system in which we celebrate real food, produce regeneratively, buy fairly, conserve resources, value craftsmanship, work together mindfully, share knowledge, create better working conditions and promote young talent. The non-profit association was initiated in 2017 by the Berlin restaurants Horváth and Nobelhart & Schmutzig. We connect the country’s culinary actors and provide them with knowledge, skills and inspiration around current and future issues of the food system. They take these back into their everyday work in the field, in the kitchen and inbetween, and drive the change.

Photos: Carla Ulrich & Nils Böddingmeier