Graduate insight with Charles Michel, a chef promoting conscious eating
Faire défiler la pageRecognised this year in the 50 Next list, in the Empowering Educators category, we chatted with Charles Michel, a 2006 graduate of our Bachelor in International Culinary Arts Management, who today dedicates his time to communicating his values and beliefs around a diet that respects nature and people: known as a conscious diet.
Find out more in this video interview and the full article.
CHARLES MICHEL, AN “EMPOWERING EDUCATOR”
A PROFESSIONAL WITH EDUCATION IN HIS DNA
Education is the mission and ambition that Charles Michel has tasked himself with. But for him, educating has to be responsible and, above all, an opportunity available to everyone.
“In today’s society, good education has always been a luxury and I think that if there were more democratic access to education in the world, it would change a lot of things. For me, it is important that anyone who is interested can have access to my content for just one euro per month.”
His main activity consists in providing educational content via his Patreon platform, in a very accessible and transparent way, as well as through masterclasses or courses within universities and grandes écoles. He teaches an annual course in Culinary Leadership for our students taking the Master’s Degree in Culinary Leadership and Innovation.
In his educational approach, Charles attaches great importance to personal reflection, so that everyone can become a leader of their own thoughts and actions.
“The objective is to develop a keen critical awareness, to get them to questions themselves, about who they are and what their missions are, and then to give them the tools to allow them to solve problems and move forward. It is thanks to the accumulation of individual leaderships that we can move forward!”
THE FUTURE OF FOOD THROUGH EDUCATION
When we talk about the gastronomy of tomorrow, Charles is keen to go back to the origins of cuisine and the paradoxes that have been created over time through globalisation and global production.
“The future of food is first of all to understand that food represents the relationship with everything that is living. When we eat, we bond intimately with our environments, with the people who grew the food, with the animals who provided the meat for us to eat. A very intimate relationship is established. If we can manage to give more moral value to our food and our dishes, I think we will be able to create a much more beautiful planet.”
Conscious eating and sustainable gastronomy are topical issues that are at the heart of the educational approach at Institut Paul Bocuse. The culinary industry is at a turning point in its history, where sustainability and environmental and social responsibility must become a priority for future leaders in the sector.
Do you want to be one of its responsible leaders and decision-makers? Find out more about our Bachelor in International Culinary Arts Management.