Mauro Colagreco is a gardener in a chef’s jacket. His restaurant Mirazur, in Menton, France, has a grand total of five gardens, where he grows produce that inspires his dishes on a daily basis. As he puts it: “I like to say that at Mirazur we work to the rhythm of 365 seasons.”
This commitment to sustainable food practices, which respect nature's cycles, has earned Colagreco numerous accolades—including three Michelin stars and the title of World’s Best Restaurant in 2019. In 2022, it also gained him a place at UNESCO, where he was the very first chef to be named a Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.
Chef Colagreco’s advocacy for local, sustainable ingredients and traditional culinary techniques aligns with UNESCO’s actions for biodiversity, in particular its Man and the Biosphere Programme, which he actively supports. Currently, the organization boasts over 750 Biosphere Reserves in more than 130 countries, where around 275 million people seek to conserve ecosystems while supporting sustainable development.
These efforts are essential today, when over . To raise awareness of this issue, Mauro Colagreco recently travelled to Cali, Colombia, for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP16.
At the conference, Colagreco announced the launch of his “Seeds for the Future” programme, which focuses on food education for children and adolescents. Through practical activities such as school gardens, culinary workshops and farm visits, this initiative teaches not only about nutrition, but also about the importance of sustainable food practices—resonating with UNESCO’s new initiatives to “green education” in classrooms.
Our food choices, from production to consumption, have concrete effects on our environment. Sustainable eating habits can be cultivated from a young age through education. I am delighted that UNESCO is bringing this message to COP16 with the help of a committed figure like Mauro Colagreco.
During his time in Cali, Colagreco also visited Galería Alameda, a typical Colombian market. With fellow chef Harry Sasson, he sampled local, seasonal, and sustainable foods, which they then showcased at a dinner for COP participants.
Gastronomy can be a powerful vector of change. We really need to protect our environment because biodiversity is the foundation of our gastronomy and our lives.
