Enjoyment, art and responsibility – sustainable chef clothing supports the Food & Art event

Celebrating the love story of food and art, the Food & Art Festival, featuring the world's top chefs and artists, will be held for the sixth time in September – and for the first time in Turku. Medanta will outfit chefs and students in sustainable workwear.

Top food from the world's best cuisines. Inspiring art, topical discussions and an interesting program. The Food & Art festival will take over the maritime area of ​​Ruissalo's Event Dockyard from 5-8 September 2019 and turn the eyes of culinary experts to Turku for four days.

Food & Art began when chef Pekka Terävä, who runs the Michelin-starred restaurant Olo, dreamed of an event where he could introduce Finnish nature and its finest ingredients to his international chef friends.

A unique festival celebrating the union of food and art was born, and it has grown and renewed year after year. Previously, the event was held in Mänttä at the Serlachius Museums and their courtyard.

The stars of the festival are changing chefs and artists.

"With their works, the artists create a unique milieu and atmosphere for the Turku festival area. Some of the artworks serve as a source of inspiration for the dishes conjured up by the chefs," says Riikka Kannas, CEO of Food Camp Finland, which organizes the event.

Quality and uncompromising commitment to creating the best is “in the festival’s DNA” – including the workwear. Medanta has been a partner of the event and the outfitter for the chefs and waiters since the beginning, now for the sixth time. CEO Anu Kivelä says that the values ​​of Medanta and Food & Art immediately aligned.

"The themes of the event are the environment, maritime issues and responsibility. Sustainable development is also at the heart of our own operations. Top chefs and artists from around the world will be thinking about environmentally friendly choices in Turku. As a partner, we will bring the missing piece to the whole, namely workwear made according to sustainable development."

Inspiration for outfits from a marine installation

Medanta will launch a new, environmentally friendly Eco Denim fabric made in Europe at the Food & Art event. It will be used as workwear for top chefs and waiters coming to Turku, as well as for students who will go with them.

"We supply workwear to over 50 people. The fabric is responsible denim. We want to support the theme of cleaning the world's oceans of plastic waste and significantly saving water and energy in the manufacturing process," says Anu Kivelä.

The culmination of the festival is the Chef's Menu dinner held in the Westin hall of Ruissalo's Event Dockyard, which will be enjoyed under the artwork Under Pressure by Koen Vanmechelen, one of Belgium's most famous contemporary artists.

Vanmechelen will attach hundreds of water bags filled with spring water and seawater to the ceiling of the hall, with their fascinating color differences. The marine installation greets dinner guests by reminding them of people's relationship with nature: Vanmechelen is a deeply ethical artist who is concerned about the state of the Earth and the future of humanity.

According to Kivelä, Medanta's design team has drawn strong inspiration for workwear from the work. Chef's coats and aprons will feature a silver-toned, nautical print that reflects the waves of the sea.

“When light hits the print, it ripples like the sea. We want to do our part to make the world and its oceans a better and cleaner place.”

The Eco Denim fabric of the clothing is made from recycled polyester, the raw material of which is plastic collected from the ocean, and from responsible BCI cotton, which helps minimize the environmental impact of cotton farming: the use of water and pesticides has been reduced.

Clothes that make the world feel good

Anu Kivelä says that it is important for Medanta to be able to accurately trace the origin of each production batch of its fabrics: this way the company can truly stand behind its responsibility promise.

“Eco Denim is made in Europe in a factory that we have visited often. The factory produces all the energy it needs and sells the excess energy to external companies. They have their own water treatment plant that recycles used water, and also environmentally friendly recycling processes for all chemicals, such as dyes.”

Using Eco Denim in chef clothing is not only an environmental act, but the fabric is also technically high-quality and designed for tough professional use. It works like a sportswear fabric, flexible and breathable even in tight places, and has an antimicrobial treatment – ​​like all Medanta clothing.

The Food & Art Festival is a collaboration between Turku Vocational Institute and Turku University of Applied Sciences' Art Academy. Students from both institutions are strongly involved in making the event possible, and they get a unique opportunity to work with international stars.

According to Anu Kivelä, it is important for Medanta that Medanta also clothes every young person who contributes to the event.

“Creating such a unique and large event is a huge effort. It is wonderful how young people are involved in different phases of work, such as preparations, logistics and catering. Stylish, high-quality and responsibly manufactured workwear elevates and builds professional identity. Good-looking clothing supports the feeling that I am proud of what I do, my expertise and that I get to produce experiences and great service.”

Delicacies and experiences for every budget

This year's Food & Art event is strongly centered around the ideology of master & competitor. Riikka Kannas says that the theme is reflected in the encounters between top chefs and between professionals and students.

"Top chefs from Mexico, Brazil and New Zealand are coming to Turku. All are successful and respected influencers in the restaurant industry worldwide. For example, Mexican Enrique Olvera's restaurant Pujol just rose to number 12 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. He is also known to the general public from the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table ."

The Chef's Menu dinners, which will be held over three evenings, will feature nine top chefs, each preparing one unique dish for the menu. Swedish two-Michelin-starred Matias Dahlgren will also be present. From Finland, the kitchen will be staffed by Bocuse d'Or representative Ismo Sipeläinen and Finnish Chef of the Year 2019, Mikko Kaukonen, who works at Food Camp Finland.

"In addition to Chef's Menu, the festival offers a wide range of programs for anyone interested in the love story of food and art. It's amazing that we can organize the event in Turku: we have been warmly welcomed. Turku's restaurant culture is one of the best in Finland, and the development of food tourism is included in the city's strategy," says Kannas.

Admission to the festival area is free. Visitors can sample affordable tasting dishes from top local restaurants or enjoy grilled delicacies conjured up by Pekka Terävä and his team. On the Aurajoki tour, six restaurants along the riverbank will each prepare their own dish inspired by the artwork of the students of the Academy of Fine Arts.

Anu Kivelä says that the people of Medanta will be present in the Event Dock area throughout the festival.

“We have a wooden booth there, Medanta’s cottage. We hope that our customers and anyone interested in responsible workwear will come to meet us and talk about textile safety and occupational hygiene – or to share their own needs and ideas for professional workwear. We are also participating in the world’s largest kitchen flea market, where we sell samples and fitting clothes.”