Ecuadorian chef Rodrigo Pacheco says he bears a responsibility that goes beyond preparing delicious food. He aims to use his culinary skills and creativity to promote sustainable cuisine and environmental conservation and generally be a force for positive change.
"Cooking is the easy part," he said.
Pacheco, who is also founder of Foresta, a restaurant in Quito that serves dishes made of ingredients from his regenerated forest and prepared with ancestral cooking techniques, recently spent a weeklong residency at Yale, where he shared his unique culinary craft and philosophy with the local community and the staff of Yale Hospitality.
"Yale is a remarkable institution that provides a great platform for people from across many fields to share their visions," he said. "In my case, coming here to discuss my vision of sustainable gastronomy and the preservation of the ecosystems has connected me with scholars, students, and others who have a shared mission to protect nature."
