A completely plant-based congress
Zátiší Catering is a pioneer in promoting sustainability in gastronomy, whether it is through the use of seasonal local ingredients, the proper sizing of portions, using ecological boxes for takeaway food, eliminating plastics or increasing the proportion of vegetarian dishes on menus. However, a purely vegan congress represented a new challenge!
On September 12-14, the American animal-rights nonprofit the Humane League organized the 4th annual OWA Global Summit international congress at the Prague Congress Center. Eightteen years ago, the Humane League started drawing attention to the unethical and inhumane methods used in poultry farming. The organization, which promotes the rights of animals exploited in the food industry, began as a tiny grassroots movement protesting foie gras at local restaurants in Philadelphia in 2005. Today it is a worldwide organization trying to influence restaurants, retail chains, food manufacturers, animal breeders and governments to change how animals are farmed. In 2016, it founded the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), which unites 100 animal protection organizations in 72 countries and promotes the welfare of farm animals in almost all markets in the world. Their common goal is to improve the breeding and farming conditions of chickens so that they can freely spread their wings and live safe and happy lives. Zátiší Catering prepared vegan refreshments for the three-day summit, which welcomed 124 animal-rights activists from 44 countries and 52 organizations.
A creative challenge
Zátiší Catering Director Jan Šmelhaus began preparing the menu in June. He researched interesting vegan recipes and vegan versions of popular world dishes, and also created new dishes made with appropriate ingredients. Finally, together with the Zátiší Catering chefs, he selected 45 dishes for breakfast – both cold and hot, sweet and salty – and for morning and afternoon break and lunch. Guests started the day with a chickpea omelet with potatoes and arugula; oatmeal with caramelized peaches, nuts, coconut flakes and maple syrup; a vegan banana sandwich or a tortilla with grilled vegetables. For lunch, for example, there was tomato soup with basil, Udon noodles with tempeh and vegetables, tofu curry with green beans, palak tofu with homemade pasta, tomato couscous with grilled eggplant, pumpkin barley risotto, vegetable masala with rice or fresh pasta with tomato sauce. Colorful vegetable salads and desserts, such as panna cotta, mango cheesecake, ice cream, chocolate cake and poppy seed cakes, were also served. “Guests absolutely loved the chickpea fritters with maple syrup and vegan whipped cream and the desserts,“ observed Jitka Zahrádková, manager of Zátiší Catering for this event. “They also went to the chefs to ask for some recipes and took pictures of the dishes." In three days, the chefs prepared some 9,000 portions of food, and all the guests were more than satisfied. For the first time in the four years of this summit, they were not hungry afterwards and really liked the food. Aliya Amanzholova, OWA project manager, was delighted. “Zátiší Catering completely exceeded our expectations,“ she said. “We wished for great food and got a stunning vegan feast. Every day we were surprised by new delicious dishes, from fresh salads to warm dishes to sweet treats. We were very amused by the Smoothie wheel, on which everyone could make their own smoothie! The entire Zátiší Catering team contributed to the success of the congress to a large extent, and warmly took care of us every day."
The good news is that vegan dishes will now become part of Zátiší Catering's snack offer and will probably gradually appear in Fresh & Tasty canteens, so that vegans and people with various food intolerances can enjoy food that is both delicious and healthy. Jan Šmelhaus was also happy with the result. "Purely vegan refreshments for a three-day summit for 150 people seemed like a big challenge at first, but our chefs immediately discovered its creative potential and then just competed to create delicious and beautiful dishes,“ he said. “Satisfied guests and their obvious pleasure have confirmed to us that this direction can be another interesting way of catering.“
Admin
2023-11-23
