Welcome to Talking Hospitality
Feb. 6, 2024

How To Make Your Hospitality Business More Sustainable

Dive into the heart of sustainability with Andrea Zick, a trailblazer in the hospitality industry, as she unveils the intricate dance of creating a sustainable future without sacrificing the essence of luxury dining. This episode is a journey through the lens of a former chef turned sustainability champion, offering a fresh perspective on the challenges and triumphs of embedding sustainability into the fabric of the hospitality industry.

Why Listen:

If you're passionate about the future of hospitality and the planet, this episode is a must-listen. Andrea Zick, with her rich background in nutrition, health, and a deep-rooted connection to the environment, shares invaluable insights into transforming the hospitality industry into a beacon of sustainability. From the importance of empathy and communication in driving change to practical steps for reducing food waste and embracing regenerative practices, this episode is packed with inspiration, practical advice, and a vision for a more sustainable and inclusive industry. Whether you're a seasoned hospitality professional or just starting your sustainability journey, Andrea's story and insights will empower you to make a positive impact.

Key Points of Interest:

  1. Andrea Zick's Journey: From her early exposure to gardening and understanding the planet's influence on us, to leading the Oxo Tower Restaurant to win prestigious sustainability awards, Andrea's journey is a testament to the power of ancestral knowledge and a passion for sustainability.
  2. Defining Sustainability: Andrea offers a deeper understanding of sustainability, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, empathy, and experimentation within the business to improve practices affecting the environment, social governance, and profitability.
  3. Empathy and Communication: Highlighting empathy and communication as crucial ingredients for successful sustainability projects, Andrea shares how these elements foster a culture of change and innovation.
  4. Food Waste Reduction: Andrea discusses the practical steps taken by the Oxo Tower Restaurant to significantly reduce food waste, showcasing the importance of measuring waste, training staff, and involving all team members in sustainability efforts.
  5. Sustainable Menu Development: The episode delves into the challenges and strategies of developing sustainable menus, including assessing current practices, envisioning a sustainable future, and creating transition plans tailored to each business.
  6. Hospitality's Role in Sustainable Eating: Andrea explores how the hospitality industry can influence food systems and promote sustainable eating, emphasizing the need for understanding the source and production methods of food and drink.
  7. Advice for Personal Sustainability Journeys: Andrea encourages listeners to stay curious, creative, and empathetic towards others' positions on sustainability, highlighting the importance of starting from where people are and building from there.

 

Conclusion:

This episode of Talking Hospitality not only sheds light on the critical role of sustainability in the hospitality industry but also serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Andrea Zick's insights remind us that sustainability is not just a trend but a necessary evolution of the industry, driven by empathy, innovation, and a deep commitment to the planet and future generations. Join us in exploring these transformative ideas and take a step towards making a lasting impact in the world of hospitality.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Sustainability

01:12 Guest Introduction

02:10 Defining Sustainability in a Business Context

03:08 Importance of Communication and Empathy in Sustainability

04:29 Personal Inspiration for Sustainability

06:41 Developing Sustainable Menus

07:36 Food Waste Reduction

10:47 Challenges with Traditional Chefs and Sustainability

12:37 Hospitality Industry's Voice in Food Systems

14:04 UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training

19:47 Disparity in Sustainability Goals

21:21 Advice for Personal Sustainability Journey

23:17 Quick Fire Round

26:24 Conclusion

Transcript

Speaker:

Welcome to Talking Hospitality.

 

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I'm Tracy Rashid.

 

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And I'm Sarah Kettel Today's episode is a

hot topic, sustainability.

 

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Sustainability is a critical concept that

focuses on meeting the needs of the

 

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present without compromising the ability

of the future generations to meet their

 

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own needs.

 

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It encompasses environmental, social and

economic dimensions, aiming to create a

 

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balanced and harmonious relationship

between society, the environment and the

 

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economy.

 

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And our guest today is right in the thick

of it.

 

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Thanks for watching!

 

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Since 2015, our guest Andrea Zick has been

working as a PA to the GM at the Oxo Tower

 

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Restaurant Bar and Brasserie.

 

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In this role, she's led the business to

win the accolade of Food Made Good

 

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Community Champion from the Sustainable

Restaurant Association in 2017.

 

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She then went on to lead the Oxo Tower

Restaurant Bar and Brasserie to win the

 

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Most Sustainable Restaurant at the

National Restaurants Awards 2019 and a

 

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Green Michelin Star in 2021.

 

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Welcome, Andrea.

 

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We are so pleased to have you here as our

guest today.

 

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How are you?

 

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I'm very well and it's wonderful to meet

you in person, I'd like to say, even

 

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though it's virtual.

 

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So we can hear there's a lot of background

noise.

 

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Where are you at the moment?

 

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I'm actually at the restaurant.

 

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I've taken basically an hour out of work

to meet you and to talk a little bit about

 

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very much my personal views on

sustainability.

 

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So not really representing the business

here in the conversation, but sharing

 

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hopefully some insights of.

 

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my journey in sustainability with others.

 

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So now some of you might be thinking we've

all heard about sustainability, we know

 

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what it is, we know it's a good thing, but

what does sustainability actually mean?

 

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You obviously did a very good job in

explaining it, at least defining it in the

 

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intro, which would have probably been how

I would have started.

 

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And maybe I go one step further and say

what sustainability means for me in a

 

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business context.

 

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I would say what it really means is to

 

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go into dialogue with every person in the

business about if you like the practices

 

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they are currently applying and

understanding how these practices may

 

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influence these three dimensions you

mentioned.

 

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The environment, social and governance, or

the people, the planet and the profit of

 

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the business.

 

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And then literally exploring how their

practices, if they're influencing these

 

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things, could be improved, changed.

 

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and transitioned to something different.

 

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Yeah, that's definitely a bit more

elaborated than what we said as a

 

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definition of sustainability without a

doubt.

 

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I think communication is a core

ingredient.

 

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So as a previous chef, I always think of

things and recipes.

 

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Communication is one of the important

ingredients.

 

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I think it's also trying to be empathetic

for the needs of everyone who's actually

 

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creating the change processes, because

sustainability ultimately is a

 

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journey within that journey you are often

asking people to change the way they are

 

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currently working or to apply change to

the business they are in, the system they

 

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are in.

 

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And that often requires, and that's really

another key ingredient, empathy and

 

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compassion for when things aren't that

straightforward.

 

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And going back to the communication, it

isn't telling, it's literally a dialogue

 

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which is very different to you need to do

this.

 

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And I would say sustainability projects

become more successful if consensus and

 

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dialogue is the kind of starting point.

 

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And then people are also going into a

place where they are willing to

 

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experiment.

 

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And I always think I'm so lucky as a chef

back in my previous life.

 

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I always loved experimenting and being

creative.

 

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So sustainability probably uses some of

that.

 

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love for creation and being a little bit

of a maverick and trying things out.

 

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Andrea, I love the fact that you're saying

that, you know, it's not just about what

 

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you're doing wrong, but it's that journey,

it's understanding it's changed.

 

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When there's people involved, that's never

the easiest thing to do.

 

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It's so clear that you're passionate about

sustainability and what you do.

 

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But what inspired you?

 

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to get into that field, was it like a big

bang or was it like a slow process?

 

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How did you get into it?

 

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I wouldn't say it was a big bang.

 

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There's something I learned yesterday

called ancestral knowing.

 

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And ancestral knowing is kind of almost

the inherited knowledge we carry through

 

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our lives.

 

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So as a child in my family, I was lucky

enough to be exposed to a garden and the

 

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opportunity to grow things and to see how

things grow.

 

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And that...

 

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kind of almost planted the seed of

understanding the connection of how we

 

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influence the planet, it influences us

back.

 

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So that's something which happened a long,

long time ago.

 

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And then I studied nutrition and health.

 

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At that point, I got really interested in

the question of world hunger, food

 

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insecurity.

 

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Then I got increasingly more conscious of,

feel like the limitations, the

 

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environmental limitations of our planet.

 

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When you then go down that rabbit hole and

you realize all there is environmental

 

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limitations, you then also have to start

asking yourself what are the economic

 

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limitations for a business if there's only

so much the planet can give.

 

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And then there's maybe one other dimension

which got me there.

 

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I'm a yogi and...

 

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When you do yoga, you often connect

through the world in a lens where you fear

 

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that everything is connected.

 

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And I think that feeds into this idea of

sustainability as well.

 

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Andrea, I know you just mentioned about

being fortunate enough to grow up with,

 

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you know, seeing food grown in a garden.

 

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And I was very much like that as well.

 

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It's always been important to me to pass

it on to my children and understand about.

 

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food wastage and the process and all those

kind of things that we should be very,

 

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very conscious of.

 

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And we've heard very much about these

strategies such as farm to fork.

 

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So how do you work with Oxo to develop

menus that really emphasize

 

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sustainability?

 

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Whatever sustainability practices and

projects you want to implant, it's always

 

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important to almost assess the present

first.

 

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So talking to the team you are working in.

 

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assessing what are we doing currently,

then ask yourself what's the future vision

 

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and even with that future vision you want

to bring in the people who are working

 

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with you because my vision might be very

different to your vision, right?

 

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And unless we are kind of trying to create

a joint vision it will be really hard to

 

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actually transition from A to B.

 

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And when you've created...

 

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basically the present and the future, you

can then think about what transition plans

 

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you can take.

 

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And these transition plans will be very

different for different businesses.

 

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So within the business we are working in,

it kind of feels like a dance.

 

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We introduce something, we test it, we use

what feels right for our business, and

 

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then remove the things which don't quite

feel right.

 

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As an example, we've worked on food waste

reduction for quite a while.

 

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We started this when the Sustainable

Restaurant Association launched something

 

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called Food Waste Bad Pest and that was

linked to the organization called Rapids,

 

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an NGO, and they tackle waste on a broader

scale, but food waste is one of the

 

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things.

 

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Really it started simple with us saying,

okay, we want to get an understanding of

 

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how much food waste we are creating.

 

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And then we started measuring and while we

started measuring, we learned about how

 

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are we actually creating waste, in what

areas are we creating waste, who might be

 

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the best person to tell us what waste is

created, then who are the people who might

 

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have the biggest influence in reducing

this waste.

 

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We started it this way and then...

 

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we went on to a journey of learning that

was supported by then eventually signing

 

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up to the Guardians of Grubb training.

 

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A whole bunch of people in the business

trained on the Guardians of Grubb training

 

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that allowed us then to kind of connect

front of house and back of house on this

 

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kind of mission to produce food based.

 

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I've done the the wrap Guardians of the

Grubb training as well and it's really

 

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inspirational and as a chef in the kitchen

you don't really think about what are the

 

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what are the front of house doing and how

how do they.

 

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Like you fill in a questionnaire at the

beginning and one of the first questions

 

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is, who are the people in your restaurant?

 

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Who are your key stakeholders?

 

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And it does actually go through front of

house.

 

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And that's sort of made me go, oh, oh

yeah, okay, it does have an impact.

 

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And I really hadn't thought about it

before.

 

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So for anyone who's not done Guardians of

the Grub training, I would suggest doing

 

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it for all your staff.

 

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It's really good, really insightful.

 

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I'm very pleased to say that our ambition

to reduce food waste by half since we

 

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started the measuring is on track.

 

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We still kind of see spikes and troughs,

so it's something we certainly want to

 

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continue looking at.

 

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But we are certainly on track achieving

that, and that's just such an amazing

 

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achievement.

 

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And this wouldn't be possible if we

wouldn't have brought in different team

 

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members, even if you think there's

sometimes invisible places.

 

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So...

 

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our sales team and our reservations teams

are just as important in this process

 

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because if for whatever reason they are

missing to update the bookings, then we

 

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potentially overproduce.

 

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If they are not putting in the information

of someone being an allergen in events,

 

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again, we probably produce food, but it's

not edible by these guests.

 

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So it becomes like a network operation and

you really want to bring in.

 

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as many people as possible, but equally

you need to streamline it so you can

 

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actually start progressing.

 

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I have a question for you both actually

being chefs.

 

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There's a very much like background of,

you know, making sure that something is as

 

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square as possible, even if it was

originally round.

 

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So there's wastage and things that, you

presentation is obviously very important,

 

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especially the more high end you go with,

with the cuisine.

 

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So is it more difficult to bring those

types of chefs, especially maybe the old

 

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school, along the sustainability journey?

 

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In weird ways, that's maybe something I'm

exploring in my PhD research to a level.

 

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It's not the main focus, but it's somewhat

generational difference between how we see

 

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good food to sum it up.

 

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So I think if you speak to someone who's

going to culinary schools now with the

 

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vice and sustainability conversation and

messaging, I think there's probably more

 

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of an awareness that good food.

 

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has to be linked to that as well.

 

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Whereas traditionally, I would say, chefs

probably associated good food with taste

 

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and indulgence and hedonism.

 

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And I'm not saying that this isn't true

still.

 

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I think we are almost adding another

dimension now into how we want to create

 

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food and kind of taking that on board.

 

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What do you think, Sarah?

 

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I think previously where you'd have seen

perhaps, you know, the good example is the

 

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case of fish, right, where

 

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previously, you might have seen a piece

cut off the side or a piece cut off the

 

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end to square the shape.

 

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And that would have been considered waste.

 

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But you really wouldn't see that now.

 

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And you know, even things like fish skin,

it's, it's become cool to eat fish skin

 

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00:11:58,032 --> 00:11:58,822

crackling.

 

197

00:11:58,822 --> 00:12:00,502

Yeah, like skin would have been discarded

before.

 

198

00:12:00,502 --> 00:12:07,552

Can you still make beautiful food, which

is a direct to your eyes, not over

 

199

00:12:07,552 --> 00:12:08,022

trimming?

 

200

00:12:08,022 --> 00:12:09,062

Yeah, of course you can.

 

201

00:12:09,062 --> 00:12:11,096

And I think people have moved towards

 

202

00:12:17,582 --> 00:12:21,842

So, Andrea, how can the hospitality

industry have a bigger voice in food

 

203

00:12:21,842 --> 00:12:23,342

systems for sustainable eating?

 

204

00:12:23,342 --> 00:12:24,362

It's a big question.

 

205

00:12:24,362 --> 00:12:28,932

And the reason why it's a big question is

that it's because hospitality is so

 

206

00:12:28,932 --> 00:12:29,722

varied.

 

207

00:12:29,722 --> 00:12:31,782

So I give you an example.

 

208

00:12:31,782 --> 00:12:37,964

If you're a hotel or an events company,

the impact of your...

 

209

00:12:37,964 --> 00:12:41,514

business will sit in a different area than

a restaurant.

 

210

00:12:41,514 --> 00:12:45,154

If we are just looking at greenhouse gas

emissions and that of course isn't the

 

211

00:12:45,154 --> 00:12:50,364

only dimensions we might be considering

within sustainability, a hotel's

 

212

00:12:50,364 --> 00:12:54,114

greenhouse gas emissions are likely to be

much higher in the transport of their

 

213

00:12:54,114 --> 00:12:58,874

guests coming to the hotel proportionately

than maybe the food specifically.

 

214

00:12:58,874 --> 00:13:02,874

Let's say if you're a hotel which just

does bed and breakfast, right?

 

215

00:13:02,874 --> 00:13:06,598

You're already just by buying produce,

you're

 

216

00:13:06,670 --> 00:13:09,080

costs are already lower on the food side.

 

217

00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:14,280

So how a hotel will influence the

conversation around environmental

 

218

00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,850

conversations will be slightly different

to maybe a restaurant.

 

219

00:13:17,850 --> 00:13:21,900

Then again, with events, similar thing

with events, you're probably going to have

 

220

00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:23,650

guests traveling in.

 

221

00:13:23,650 --> 00:13:28,840

And that might also have a much, much

higher impact on the overall footprint the

 

222

00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:29,970

business is generating.

 

223

00:13:29,970 --> 00:13:35,470

For me, and that's kind of where I like to

say I'm a bit more specialized maybe.

 

224

00:13:35,470 --> 00:13:41,590

I look at how food in particular, food and

drink impact the planet.

 

225

00:13:41,590 --> 00:13:46,680

And that's because I work in a restaurant

and a lot of the certainly greenhouse gas

 

226

00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:50,830

emissions and probably a lot of the other

environmental impacts are driven by the

 

227

00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:52,000

food and drink we are buying.

 

228

00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,170

I don't want to ignore that when we are

switching on the light, when we are

 

229

00:13:55,170 --> 00:13:59,210

switching on the hops, that's what you

call in sustainability language, scope one

 

230

00:13:59,210 --> 00:14:02,010

and two emissions, they play a role as

well.

 

231

00:14:02,010 --> 00:14:04,238

But if you start looking at...

 

232

00:14:04,238 --> 00:14:06,638

where are the biggest impact of our

business?

 

233

00:14:06,638 --> 00:14:11,458

They tend to sit in the things we are

buying and then selling, prospectively.

 

234

00:14:11,458 --> 00:14:17,028

That means that understanding when we are

buying food, where it's coming from, how

 

235

00:14:17,028 --> 00:14:20,878

it's being produced, is becoming

increasingly more important.

 

236

00:14:20,878 --> 00:14:25,838

And then the next layer, and that's

certainly my view, when you're starting to

 

237

00:14:25,838 --> 00:14:29,458

think about, okay, it's food and drink,

which has potentially the biggest impact

 

238

00:14:29,458 --> 00:14:33,514

in the business, on the planet, then how

can we now

 

239

00:14:33,514 --> 00:14:40,394

modulate the food and drink offer to

remove some of these impacts or reduce

 

240

00:14:40,394 --> 00:14:46,704

some of these impacts and still deliver

the sort of experience our guests are

 

241

00:14:46,704 --> 00:14:47,634

looking after.

 

242

00:14:47,634 --> 00:14:49,774

They still want to eat luxuriously.

 

243

00:14:49,774 --> 00:14:52,574

They still want to treat themselves coming

to the restaurant.

 

244

00:14:52,574 --> 00:14:57,494

As a more practical example, if you come

to the restaurant at the moment, we sell

 

245

00:14:57,494 --> 00:14:58,158

beef.

 

246

00:14:58,158 --> 00:15:02,378

people love to treat themselves coming to

a restaurant and say, this is my one time

 

247

00:15:02,378 --> 00:15:04,558

a year where I might actually treat

myself.

 

248

00:15:04,558 --> 00:15:07,518

So they're probably going to order a beef

fillet.

 

249

00:15:07,518 --> 00:15:09,358

It's one of our best sellers.

 

250

00:15:09,358 --> 00:15:13,398

Now from sustainability point of view,

that's drama for me, because it's got one

 

251

00:15:13,398 --> 00:15:15,218

of the highest impacts.

 

252

00:15:15,218 --> 00:15:21,098

So removing it from the menu is probably

not an option at this moment in time.

 

253

00:15:21,098 --> 00:15:24,938

Yeah, but what we can do is asking

ourselves, how can we actually get the

 

254

00:15:24,938 --> 00:15:26,222

beef on the plate?

 

255

00:15:26,222 --> 00:15:28,182

in the lowest impact version.

 

256

00:15:28,182 --> 00:15:34,482

So asking ourselves, can we find a farmer

who farms the cutter in ways which are

 

257

00:15:34,482 --> 00:15:35,722

more regenerative?

 

258

00:15:35,722 --> 00:15:39,582

Can we consider maybe the size of the cut?

 

259

00:15:39,582 --> 00:15:45,262

Is the way we are putting that leaf onto

the plate producing waste which is

 

260

00:15:45,262 --> 00:15:45,982

unnecessary?

 

261

00:15:45,982 --> 00:15:48,752

And can we reduce that waste around it,

for example?

 

262

00:15:48,752 --> 00:15:53,642

So it's kind of asking ourselves, what are

the things we can influence by still

 

263

00:15:53,642 --> 00:15:55,942

delivering what our guests are looking

for?

 

264

00:16:03,214 --> 00:16:04,304

It's so insightful.

 

265

00:16:04,304 --> 00:16:08,384

There's so much going on in the background

that as a consumer, you don't really

 

266

00:16:08,384 --> 00:16:12,374

realize it's just a piece of meat, you

know, but there's so much that goes on

 

267

00:16:12,374 --> 00:16:12,564

behind.

 

268

00:16:12,564 --> 00:16:17,224

And you saying that there's like tears of

the kind of emissions has never even

 

269

00:16:17,224 --> 00:16:18,614

crossed my mind before.

 

270

00:16:18,614 --> 00:16:23,424

And the fact that restaurants or hotels

take ownership of their customers journey

 

271

00:16:23,424 --> 00:16:25,194

footprint as well.

 

272

00:16:25,194 --> 00:16:27,014

That's definitely news to me.

 

273

00:16:27,014 --> 00:16:28,914

It's quite a responsibility.

 

274

00:16:28,994 --> 00:16:29,764

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

275

00:16:29,764 --> 00:16:30,763

I never.

 

276

00:16:30,763 --> 00:16:34,083

To me, I wouldn't have thought that was

part of their responsibility, you know?

 

277

00:16:34,083 --> 00:16:38,443

I would say there's still a little bit of

a debate around what proportion they

 

278

00:16:38,443 --> 00:16:42,473

should be taking ownership of, because

there's a difference and this is when it

 

279

00:16:42,473 --> 00:16:43,373

gets very technical.

 

280

00:16:43,373 --> 00:16:47,943

So when you do life cycle analysis, which

is where you're trying to assess how much

 

281

00:16:47,943 --> 00:16:52,393

greenhouse gas emissions or how much

impacts are going into a product, a

 

282

00:16:52,393 --> 00:16:55,323

service, you make assumptions.

 

283

00:16:55,343 --> 00:17:00,231

And is it right to assume that someone

traveling to the restaurant is only

 

284

00:17:00,331 --> 00:17:05,291

coming to the restaurant for only meeting

the restaurant, only eating there, or

 

285

00:17:05,291 --> 00:17:08,711

where they're on a journey already

somewhere and passing through.

 

286

00:17:08,971 --> 00:17:09,371

Right?

 

287

00:17:09,371 --> 00:17:13,501

So therefore, you then have to ask

yourself, do we need to challenge some of

 

288

00:17:13,501 --> 00:17:14,221

these assumptions?

 

289

00:17:14,221 --> 00:17:17,891

And that will vary again for each

business.

 

290

00:17:17,891 --> 00:17:19,771

Yeah, that's a tough one.

 

291

00:17:19,811 --> 00:17:24,721

A central London restaurant is probably

more likely in a position where someone is

 

292

00:17:24,721 --> 00:17:28,541

passing through, whereas if I am a

destination restaurant in a beautiful

 

293

00:17:28,541 --> 00:17:29,355

space,

 

294

00:17:29,355 --> 00:17:33,645

In the countryside, it's less likely that

someone is passing through there, actually

 

295

00:17:33,645 --> 00:17:38,115

making the journey specifically for that

restaurant.

 

296

00:17:38,115 --> 00:17:38,325

Yeah.

 

297

00:17:38,325 --> 00:17:40,595

Sarah asked you a question about the food

systems.

 

298

00:17:40,595 --> 00:17:45,315

So can you tell us more about the UK Food

Systems Centre for doctoral training and

 

299

00:17:45,315 --> 00:17:48,995

how you think the next generation of

doctors will approach diet advice?

 

300

00:17:49,195 --> 00:17:53,235

So the UK Food Systems Centre for doctoral

training is where I'm currently doing my

 

301

00:17:53,235 --> 00:17:54,027

PhD.

 

302

00:17:54,027 --> 00:18:00,127

It's based in Greenwich and it's training

60 students in the UK food system.

 

303

00:18:00,127 --> 00:18:05,057

And when we talk about the UK food system,

people often don't really quite know what

 

304

00:18:05,057 --> 00:18:05,967

the food system is.

 

305

00:18:05,967 --> 00:18:11,087

So the food system, as I would define it

as a PhD student, is basically everything

 

306

00:18:11,087 --> 00:18:14,037

which is involved in getting food to our

table.

 

307

00:18:14,037 --> 00:18:18,947

So that's the growing of the food,

transporting of the food, the processing,

 

308

00:18:18,947 --> 00:18:22,279

the potentially storing of the food, the

further.

 

309

00:18:22,283 --> 00:18:26,943

processing in a kitchen or in a

restaurant, then the distributing it and

 

310

00:18:26,943 --> 00:18:29,483

then also the what happens after it.

 

311

00:18:29,483 --> 00:18:34,523

So if there's food waste or if there's

waste or leftovers on the plate, what

 

312

00:18:34,523 --> 00:18:35,723

happens to it afterwards?

 

313

00:18:35,723 --> 00:18:37,193

That's part of it as well.

 

314

00:18:37,193 --> 00:18:42,673

And the people I'm lucky enough to spend

time with, so the other doctoral students

 

315

00:18:42,673 --> 00:18:47,713

and the lecturers and their supervisors,

they are all really, really keen on

 

316

00:18:47,713 --> 00:18:50,635

understanding how can we shift this big...

 

317

00:18:50,635 --> 00:18:57,215

beast if you like, to have better outcomes

for society, for the environment.

 

318

00:18:57,215 --> 00:19:01,655

Students look at different things, so some

might be working purely on farming, some

 

319

00:19:01,655 --> 00:19:06,445

might be looking at the logistics

processes, some might be interested in

 

320

00:19:06,445 --> 00:19:12,995

things like nutritionally, what do we need

to start growing to make sure that in the

 

321

00:19:12,995 --> 00:19:18,013

next generation we actually have healthier

diets and again that's a...

 

322

00:19:18,013 --> 00:19:23,203

spongy term, what I define as healthy

might not be what other people define as

 

323

00:19:23,203 --> 00:19:23,453

healthy.

 

324

00:19:23,453 --> 00:19:28,353

What policies would we need to put in

place and what governance systems do we

 

325

00:19:28,353 --> 00:19:32,743

need to put in place to actually have

different outcomes than we currently have.

 

326

00:19:32,743 --> 00:19:36,323

That's really interesting that you talk a

lot about governance and having the

 

327

00:19:36,323 --> 00:19:37,603

specialised area.

 

328

00:19:37,603 --> 00:19:42,453

I think for most consumers when we think

about sustainability, we might have the

 

329

00:19:42,453 --> 00:19:46,563

best intentions and we might have what I

would say are bigger aspirations for

 

330

00:19:46,563 --> 00:19:47,531

sustainability.

 

331

00:19:47,531 --> 00:19:50,011

the UK than we feel that our leaders do.

 

332

00:19:50,011 --> 00:19:53,811

Do you feel there's a disparity there and

do you think that can ever be bridged?

 

333

00:19:53,811 --> 00:20:01,851

The disparity lies in part in the

different goals government sets within

 

334

00:20:01,851 --> 00:20:02,971

their agenda.

 

335

00:20:02,971 --> 00:20:05,631

And that's really me kind of thinking out

loud.

 

336

00:20:05,631 --> 00:20:09,731

The government needs to deliver on

economic outcomes, it needs to deliver on

 

337

00:20:09,731 --> 00:20:14,155

public health outcomes, it needs to

deliver on environmental outcomes.

 

338

00:20:14,155 --> 00:20:18,605

And what they're trying to do is they're

trying to deliver all that often in one or

 

339

00:20:18,605 --> 00:20:22,255

two policies, which makes it really

difficult.

 

340

00:20:25,863 --> 00:20:32,683

They also need to bring together what I

would call public consensus about what do

 

341

00:20:32,683 --> 00:20:37,243

we define, what do we think is a healthy

diet, what would we say is a sustainable

 

342

00:20:37,243 --> 00:20:37,943

diet.

 

343

00:20:37,943 --> 00:20:43,443

And if we would just talk about what good

food means to each one of us, we probably

 

344

00:20:43,443 --> 00:20:45,503

would have very different views of that.

 

345

00:20:45,503 --> 00:20:50,313

And that's why it's often really difficult

to bring consensus between these two

 

346

00:20:50,313 --> 00:20:53,675

things, because there's different opinions

and...

 

347

00:20:53,675 --> 00:20:58,095

different values associated to different

aspects of the food system.

 

348

00:20:58,095 --> 00:20:59,635

Yeah, that's amazing.

 

349

00:20:59,635 --> 00:21:00,455

I will fess up here.

 

350

00:21:00,455 --> 00:21:03,935

I did completely go off script there

because this is a subject that I'm very

 

351

00:21:03,935 --> 00:21:06,155

passionate about and could talk about all

day.

 

352

00:21:06,155 --> 00:21:08,055

So it's really interesting to hear your

thoughts on that.

 

353

00:21:08,055 --> 00:21:11,765

But if we have any of our listeners who

are at the start of their own personal

 

354

00:21:11,765 --> 00:21:15,055

sustainability journey, or even if they're

well into it, what's the one piece of

 

355

00:21:15,055 --> 00:21:18,495

advice do you give them to stick with it

and just to keep going for the good of the

 

356

00:21:18,495 --> 00:21:20,395

planet, for society, for the economy?

 

357

00:21:20,395 --> 00:21:21,995

What can they do as an individual?

 

358

00:21:21,995 --> 00:21:28,075

I think what keeps me going personally is

using creativity and being curious while

 

359

00:21:28,075 --> 00:21:33,795

also wanting to understand someone else's

position within that.

 

360

00:21:34,235 --> 00:21:40,495

So it's kind of being empathetic to the

people around you, trying to truly listen

 

361

00:21:40,495 --> 00:21:47,025

what their needs are and then start from

where their needs sit and where they are

 

362

00:21:47,025 --> 00:21:48,935

at and start building from there.

 

363

00:21:48,935 --> 00:21:51,403

Because if you are not...

 

364

00:21:51,403 --> 00:21:56,873

bringing in the people from the place they

are currently at, it's going to be really

 

365

00:21:56,873 --> 00:21:59,503

difficult for you to get their support.

 

366

00:21:59,503 --> 00:22:04,383

And sometimes maybe it isn't about getting

their support, maybe it's about you

 

367

00:22:04,383 --> 00:22:05,243

supporting them.

 

368

00:22:05,243 --> 00:22:07,423

Yeah, that's great advice.

 

369

00:22:07,723 --> 00:22:11,373

And it definitely sounds like, you know,

it's not a one size fits all, which might

 

370

00:22:11,373 --> 00:22:13,513

be why people think going on this journey

might be difficult.

 

371

00:22:13,513 --> 00:22:16,693

But actually, when it's more personalised,

you're more connected and probably more

 

372

00:22:16,693 --> 00:22:18,183

likely to stick to it as well.

 

373

00:22:18,183 --> 00:22:20,491

As a hospitality person, it's...

 

374

00:22:20,491 --> 00:22:25,831

It's a beautiful way to connect with

people on a very authentic level.

 

375

00:22:25,831 --> 00:22:29,871

I've met some of the most interesting

people through this journey and sometimes

 

376

00:22:29,871 --> 00:22:33,111

they've challenged me, but challenge isn't

a bad thing.

 

377

00:22:33,131 --> 00:22:37,861

Challenge helps you to grow, to

transition, to change your own perceptions

 

378

00:22:37,861 --> 00:22:39,211

of what's right and wrong.

 

379

00:22:39,211 --> 00:22:41,991

Yeah, I think if you're thinking about

sustainability, it's bigger than yourself,

 

380

00:22:41,991 --> 00:22:42,551

isn't it?

 

381

00:22:42,551 --> 00:22:44,691

So it's not just about me, me, me.

 

382

00:22:44,691 --> 00:22:47,671

You are thinking of the planet really and

everyone that's on it.

 

383

00:22:47,671 --> 00:22:49,867

And it's a beautiful place to...

 

384

00:22:49,867 --> 00:22:53,807

have a reason to connect because I won't

have all the answers.

 

385

00:22:53,807 --> 00:22:59,857

Whereas if I bring other people's

knowledge and wisdom in, then I might get

 

386

00:22:59,857 --> 00:23:03,107

the right answers or might find better

solutions.

 

387

00:23:04,327 --> 00:23:08,047

Yes, it's time for Put the Copper Down,

Quick Fire Round question time.

 

388

00:23:08,047 --> 00:23:11,227

The rules of the game, Andrea, is to

answer the questions with one word

 

389

00:23:11,227 --> 00:23:11,887

answers.

 

390

00:23:11,887 --> 00:23:16,177

Now we know that one word answers may be

tricky for those in hospitality, so let's

 

391

00:23:16,177 --> 00:23:17,643

see how you get on.

 

392

00:23:17,643 --> 00:23:21,983

We'll be judging your answer by speed,

succinctness and perhaps anything

 

393

00:23:21,983 --> 00:23:23,853

arbitrary we choose to add.

 

394

00:23:23,853 --> 00:23:27,513

At the end of the season, we will tally up

the scores from each of our guests and the

 

395

00:23:27,513 --> 00:23:28,863

winner will receive.

 

396

00:23:28,863 --> 00:23:29,783

Are you ready, Andrea?

 

397

00:23:29,783 --> 00:23:31,193

Are you ready for what the prize is?

 

398

00:23:31,193 --> 00:23:34,003

It's a £10 Amazon voucher.

 

399

00:23:34,223 --> 00:23:36,803

So if you are ready, Andrea, let's begin.

 

400

00:23:36,803 --> 00:23:37,803

Oh, yes, I'm ready.

 

401

00:23:37,803 --> 00:23:41,303

So Andrea, if you were a flavour of ice

cream, what would you be?

 

402

00:23:41,303 --> 00:23:42,443

Tutti frutti.

 

403

00:23:42,443 --> 00:23:47,163

So thinking of, as an example, Christmas

and Easter, if you could create a new

 

404

00:23:47,163 --> 00:23:49,003

holiday, what would it be called?

 

405

00:23:49,003 --> 00:23:50,403

World Peace Day.

 

406

00:23:50,403 --> 00:23:53,783

What's the most unusual job you can

imagine yourself doing for a day?

 

407

00:23:53,783 --> 00:23:57,023

The first thing I was thinking of was

fire, a fire woman.

 

408

00:23:57,023 --> 00:23:59,033

What is your go -to karaoke style?

 

409

00:23:59,033 --> 00:24:00,483

I hate karaoke.

 

410

00:24:01,043 --> 00:24:02,163

Boo!

 

411

00:24:03,243 --> 00:24:05,223

Do you run hot or cold?

 

412

00:24:05,223 --> 00:24:06,023

Hot.

 

413

00:24:06,023 --> 00:24:10,023

If you could have dinner with any

fictional character, who would it be?

 

414

00:24:10,083 --> 00:24:12,331

Fuhua from...

 

415

00:24:12,331 --> 00:24:13,951

the never -ending story.

 

416

00:24:13,951 --> 00:24:17,831

Andrea, what's the weirdest talent that

you have that not many people know about?

 

417

00:24:18,511 --> 00:24:22,911

I dress my clothes from inside out.

 

418

00:24:28,843 --> 00:24:36,063

So if you could go to any place, real or

fictional, where would you go?

 

419

00:24:36,063 --> 00:24:39,043

This sounds boring but I would stay at the

Tames.

 

420

00:24:39,043 --> 00:24:41,883

So crisps, fried or baked?

 

421

00:24:41,963 --> 00:24:43,723

Baked, as a nutritionist.

 

422

00:24:43,723 --> 00:24:48,183

If you could switch lives with any

celebrity for a day, who would it be?

 

423

00:24:48,183 --> 00:24:49,303

Greta Thunberg.

 

424

00:24:49,303 --> 00:24:52,843

If you had the power to solve one global

issue, what would it be?

 

425

00:24:52,843 --> 00:24:56,583

I'd start with world peace, I think all

the others would be easier to solve

 

426

00:24:56,583 --> 00:24:57,323

afterwards.

 

427

00:24:57,323 --> 00:25:02,713

If you could collaborate with any person,

living or dead, on a project, who would it

 

428

00:25:02,713 --> 00:25:03,503

be?

 

429

00:25:03,503 --> 00:25:06,803

I would love to collaborate with George

Orwell.

 

430

00:25:06,803 --> 00:25:07,943

I like it.

 

431

00:25:08,823 --> 00:25:10,443

Fact or fiction?

 

432

00:25:10,603 --> 00:25:11,073

Fiction.

 

433

00:25:11,073 --> 00:25:12,043

We need more dreaming.

 

434

00:25:12,043 --> 00:25:16,683

Imagine you wake up one day with the

ability to speak every language fluently.

 

435

00:25:16,683 --> 00:25:19,183

How would you use this newfound skill?

 

436

00:25:19,183 --> 00:25:24,587

To bring people together to overcome

tension and problems.

 

437

00:25:24,587 --> 00:25:29,087

If your life had a theme song, Andrea,

that played every time you entered a room,

 

438

00:25:29,087 --> 00:25:30,167

what would it be?

 

439

00:25:30,167 --> 00:25:33,367

The first one coming to mind is Staying

Alive.

 

440

00:25:33,367 --> 00:25:36,807

What is your go -to dance move when no one

is watching?

 

441

00:25:36,807 --> 00:25:37,767

The shimmy?

 

442

00:25:37,767 --> 00:25:40,007

Beastenders or Coronation Street?

 

443

00:25:40,007 --> 00:25:41,047

Holly Ox?

 

444

00:25:41,047 --> 00:25:42,237

That's a bit younger, isn't it?

 

445

00:25:42,237 --> 00:25:44,587

It's more our generation, to be fair.

 

446

00:25:45,447 --> 00:25:47,207

Okay, this is a riddle.

 

447

00:25:47,207 --> 00:25:49,507

I have keys but no locks.

 

448

00:25:49,507 --> 00:25:51,567

I have space but no room.

 

449

00:25:51,567 --> 00:25:53,931

You can enter but you can't go into the...

 

450

00:25:53,931 --> 00:25:54,631

What am I?

 

451

00:25:54,631 --> 00:25:55,471

A box.

 

452

00:25:55,471 --> 00:25:58,251

What has a heart that doesn't beat?

 

453

00:25:58,251 --> 00:25:59,351

A clock.

 

454

00:25:59,771 --> 00:26:03,131

So your time is up, Andrea, and you made

it through.

 

455

00:26:03,131 --> 00:26:06,771

So the answers for the final two questions

were the first one was keyboard.

 

456

00:26:06,771 --> 00:26:07,611

I got that.

 

457

00:26:07,611 --> 00:26:09,451

And the second one was artichoke.

 

458

00:26:09,451 --> 00:26:10,921

OK, yeah, that's a good one.

 

459

00:26:10,921 --> 00:26:11,471

I didn't get that.

 

460

00:26:11,471 --> 00:26:13,431

So how do you think you scored?

 

461

00:26:13,431 --> 00:26:14,371

Really poorly.

 

462

00:26:14,371 --> 00:26:16,451

I'm not competitive like that.

 

463

00:26:16,451 --> 00:26:17,561

I'm the worst person.

 

464

00:26:17,561 --> 00:26:19,311

I always want the team to win.

 

465

00:26:19,311 --> 00:26:21,011

Oh, well, we're competitive.

 

466

00:26:21,011 --> 00:26:23,451

So, Senghor, do you want to tally up those

points?

 

467

00:26:24,459 --> 00:26:26,159

I got 16.

 

468

00:26:26,159 --> 00:26:27,879

Well, you got 16.

 

469

00:26:27,879 --> 00:26:31,399

And, Andrea, you're going to have to stay

tuned to find out at the end of the season

 

470

00:26:31,399 --> 00:26:37,359

if you've won our top of the range prize,

which I'm sure you're just dying to have.

 

471

00:26:37,599 --> 00:26:38,249

Thank you, Andrea.

 

472

00:26:38,249 --> 00:26:40,039

It's been great having you as a guest.

 

473

00:26:40,039 --> 00:26:43,959

We know that our listeners will make use

of the experience device that you've

 

474

00:26:43,959 --> 00:26:44,679

given.

 

475

00:26:44,819 --> 00:26:47,139

Thank you also to our listeners for

joining us today.

 

476

00:26:47,139 --> 00:26:51,403

Stay tuned for more insightful

conversations here on Talking Hospitality.

 

477

00:26:51,403 --> 00:26:55,533

And we'd like to thank our brand partner,

Graphic Kitchen, you our listeners, our

 

478

00:26:55,533 --> 00:26:57,483

guests and all of those who have supported

us.

 

479

00:26:57,483 --> 00:27:01,963

Please check us out at talkinghospitality

.com for the latest gossip, episodes,

 

480

00:27:01,963 --> 00:27:03,503

blogs and courses.

 

481

00:27:03,503 --> 00:27:04,333

Wishing you well.

 

482

00:27:04,333 --> 00:27:07,127

Thank you all for listening and stay

awesome.

 

483

00:27:13,227 --> 00:27:15,593

Thanks for watching!

 

 

 

Andrea ZickProfile Photo

Andrea Zick

PhD student in the UK Food System

Born in Germany, she trained to be a chef and was one of two apprentices to be awarded the best chef exam by the IHK Berlin in 2001. She subsequently worked in commercial kitchens in Germany and the UK before completing a 1st Class BSc in Nutrition and Health at Roehampton University in 2009. During her degree, she won the Bright Ideas Entrepreneur competition for a healthy food labelling idea and co-published two articles on nutrition labelling in hospitality settings. She has also been awarded the Tetley Tea award for the best Nutrition Student of the Year upon the completion of her BSc.

After working as a freelance nutritionist and researcher for the School Food Trust and Roehampton University, she started a commercial role at Urban Retreat in Harrods. She was then employed as an Assistant Spa Manager at the Chelsea Harbour Spa before helping as a Membership Sales Executive at the opening of the Bulgari Spa.

Since 2015 she has been working as the PA to the GM at the OXO Tower Restaurant, Bar, and Brasserie. In this role, representing the restaurant, she led the business to win a Green Michelin Star in 2021, the most sustainable restaurant at the National Restaurant Awards 2019, and the Food Made Good Community Champion by the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2017.

She uses her chef’s skills annually in support of charities such as Action Against Hunger and Crisis. This led to her involvement during the COVID crisis with the Bia Project and a second project setting up the OXO Community Kitchen, for which she was awarded the Food Hero of th… Read More