Inside the Sustainability Retreat That’s Reshaping Hotel Kitchens Worldwide

If there’s one theme that emerges during any experience with iconic chef René Redzepi’s MAD Academy, it’s that the only way to change is to start.

In November, Marriott did just that by sending 15 chefs from The Luxury Collection (TLC) properties across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States to Copenhagen for sustainability training through the hospitality leadership program. MAD Academy tailored a summit featuring guest speakers, breakout sessions, restaurant visits, and shared meals to empower culinary leaders to start reducing environmental impact at TLC’s 120 properties in 40 countries.

“We were identifying the future direction for The Luxury Collection as far as our sustainability point of view is concerned, and we established local food systems as one of those pillars,” said Philipp Weghmann, vice president and global brand leader of The Luxury Collection at Marriott, of how this initiative came about. “Then MAD just immediately came to mind as one of the most credible educational partners for us to consider, and that’s how we connected and found great synergy.”

Here’s our exclusive experience behind the scenes of the training.

Starting the conversation

Jack Muirhead, MAD Academy’s manager from Australia, and Ed Romein, MAD’s environment and sustainability program manager, kicked off the retreat by explaining how sourcing locally improves economic, environmental, and social conditions. They encouraged the chefs to use their relationships with producers and guests to introduce new flavors, increase biodiversity, and make a difference through the 5,000 meals they collectively serve each day. The biggest challenge, the room agreed, would be making any changes on such a large scale.

Enter Matt Orlando, the former head chef of Per Se in New York and Amass in Copenhagen, who most recently opened Air in Singapore, serving more than 200 guests a day. He shared his experiences in building a team and network in a new country with a different culture, where sourcing locally posed significant challenges due to geography and farmland.

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Faced with these challenges, he shifted mindsets and cultivated an environment of awareness and transparency by sharing data and encouraging open dialogue with his team. Orlando installed a whiteboard in the back of his kitchen for the team to jot down ideas, which fostered ownership as those ideas were reviewed and implemented weekly. This straightforward tactic resulted in high staff retention, meaningful practices, and self-policing.

Sourcing locally to spur change

After each guest speaker, the Marriott chefs broke into groups to discuss the topic at hand and exchange ideas. Jan Horak, the executive chef at Augustine Hotel in Prague, said he justifies using free-range, plant-based eggs because they bind better than the less expensive eggs, so he can use less of the ingredient in recipes like may

onnaise or brioche. He knows the producer personally and verified that the flavor is better from chickens that are fed barley and corn.

Axel Torres, senior executive chef at The Hythe resort in Vail, switched from New Zealand lamb to Colorado lamb when he started running the kitchen. For seasonal specials, he sources grass-fed buffalo in Colorado. He also uses cheese from Colorado goats and is experimenting with hemp for the first time in his career because it’s local and a good source of protein.

“All of the discussion and debating is really, really enriching for the group, and it usually gets better when you have a global perspective from very diverse hotels,” said Weghmann.

Claus Meyer, co-founder of the world-renowned restaurant Noma and co-author of the Nordic Manifesto, perfectly summarized the concept when he presented on the second day: “When you collaborate, you wake up to a room full of energy, trust, support,” he said, speaking to the chefs from his cooking school, Meyers Madhus.

“Ask yourself what is the most incredible thing I can do,” he challenged the group. “It’s never too late to identify an even higher purpose.”

In 2021, Meyer and his team reintroduced Nordic varieties of legumes to Danish farmland, marking the first step in replacing animal protein with this plant-based alternative. They now incorporate the ingredient into catered meals across Copenhagen and serve it in on-site dishes, which they provided to the chefs for lunch as a demonstration of their progress.

Using data to drive goals

Another speaker, Portia Hart, founded Blue Apple Beach resort on the then-remote island of Tierra Bomba in Cartagena, Colombia. When she began her business, there wasn’t even a local recycling program. Today, she recycles glass for 200 other businesses. Blue Apple Beach serves invasive lionfish instead of depleted lobster and local cassava in place of gluten and potatoes.

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Hart shared her supply chain assessment tool to enable chefs to use data to justify and promote impactful decisions. For instance, she requires each vendor to complete a survey about the makeup of their staff, the sustainability of their practices, and their adherence to the five animal freedoms. Producers must achieve a minimum score to partner with the resort, and the data collected illustrates the hotel’s ethical and sustainable standards. The website boasts that 85% of the resort’s costs are spent in Colombia and 70% of its wastewater is recaptured, plus the property is 85% waste-free and 50% solar-powered.

One entrepreneur making a significant impact inspired the chefs to drive change by generating data.

Implementing ideas

In the months since, the chefs returned to their teams with fresh ideas to develop and a broader community of support. Horak ideated about inviting guests to forage for mushrooms on weekends. Asterios Koustoudis, the executive chef of Hotel Grande Bretagne and King George Hotel in Athens, was reconsidering how to source Greek pistachios and walnuts for breakfast. Hussain Zouhbi, the executive chef at SLS Beverly Hills, expressed a desire to incorporate more Indigenous and foraged ingredients, such as acorns for flour or plant-based cocktail infusions.

“This year, we have made significant changes to enhance the guest experience at Costa Navarino by deepening our connection with local producers, embracing flexible seasonality, and creating more immersive culinary experiences,” said Joris Larigaldie, director of culinary strategy and operations at The Romanos in Costa Navarino. “We have strengthened relationships with both new and existing local suppliers, featuring their products more prominently on our menus and buffets, along with storytelling elements that highlight their craftsmanship.”

Weghmann emphasized that senior leaders can change things with buy-in from their teams in the kitchen, general managers, and owners.

“The Luxury Collection has been really thoughtful [giving] their teams time and space to make a difference on sustainability practices,” said Melina Shannon-DiPietro, the executive director of MAD. “Whether that was local purchasing or paying attention to the top 10 products in terms of footprint, those impress us, and we want to work with people where, after we’ve worked with them, guests can feel really good about staying there or visiting that restaurant.”

MAD tracks participants’ progress by following up with them six, 12, and 36 months after they complete the programs. Shannon-DiPietro notes that while each story is unique, clear trends include the use of new producers and a decrease in packaging.

“Luxury Collection is uniquely positioned to change what their guests demand of luxury hotels, and that’s an exciting opportunity to change the understanding of what’s delicious and also how deliciousness lines up with what’s good for the planet,” she said. “We want a future that tastes delicious.”

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