Chefs on Fire

Direct

• Creation of a job: the funding will support the hiring of an impact consultant who will measure the impact associated with the Chefs on Fire project.
• Reduction of waste generation and prevention of food waste: the festival installs composting and recycling stations in the environment, with marked containers to encourage participants to dispose of waste properly; the organizers develop strategies with the Chefs to create recipes to avoid food waste; and the partnership established with institutions, such as Refood, to collect and use food that is not consumed at the event allows them to get closer to minimum waste.
• Promotion of sustainable consumption: the festival implements a policy of not using single-use plastic, using glass cups, biodegradable plates, and cutlery (made from bamboo and sugar cane), and most of the event's decorative materials are second-hand and reused in every edition, such as sofas, carpets, tables, and chairs.
• Sustainable and more efficient use of natural resources: the festival promotes renewable energy sources for producing energy used in lighting and sound systems and is transitioning to energy-efficient equipment. It also installs low-flow toilets, with showers and taps that reduce water use.
• Promoting sustainable habits: the festival is implementing an area for families and children with a sustainability education program focused on zero waste. It also encourages more responsible mobility with partnerships with public and private transport companies for visitors, and electric mobility for visitors and staff.
• Reforestation for impact neutrality: the festival, based on fire cooking, uses plenty of wood. For this reason, they plant trees equivalent to the amount of wood consumed at each event and pledge to guarantee reforestation above the wood purchased and consumed at the festival. To date, trees equivalent to 20 tons of firewood have been planted by the Chefs on Fire team in cooperation with Cascais Municipal Council.

Indirect

• Promotion of local entrepreneurship and consumption: local producers and restaurants take part in each edition of the festival, offering their regional products to the public. In total, more than 50 producers have taken part, promoting their products and Portuguese cuisine.
• Expanding the market for more sustainable festivals: Chefs On Fire aims to lead the way, influencing and demonstrating the possibilities for a more sustainable festival market. The strategy is centered on 8 fundamental pillars: (1) equality, diversity and inclusion; (2) nature; (3) energy; (4) mobility; (5) water and sanitation; (6) materials and circularity;

LOHAD was founded in 2019 by Gonçalo Castel-Branco, as a channel for sustainable creativity. The company, which currently has around 15 employees, is based in Lisbon.

The promoter creates sustainable entertainment events and positions itself as one of the main national players in the industry. It aims to continue to reposition national gastronomy as a cultural and social tool and to inspire people and companies to behave in a way that is better for their bodies and the planet.

In all its gastronomic projects, LOAHD tries to apply a simple structure as the basis for a larger conversation about who we are, the stories and habits that we care about and maintain - incredible food - that is good for those who consume it, for the community and the planet:

• Good for the community because they choose and promote local producers and stories.
• Good for those who consume, by trying to make customers fall in love with quality, what that represents, and educating them about the importance of their choices.
• Good for the planet because they present a varied diet with minimal environmental and social impact.

With the Presidential project, LOHAD was awarded the prize for best public event in the world (by the BEA Awards), the prize for innovative event by the National Tourism Awards (Expresso and BPI); with Chefs on Fire, the prize for best gastronomic event by the National Tourism Awards (Expresso and BPI); Event of the Year in 2021 by Time Out and Event of the Year by Mesa Marcada. Gonçalo Castel-Branco was, among other awards, classified as one of the 10 best Marketeers in the country by the Clube dos Criativos and honored by the Congress of Cooks for his "contribution to the growth and promotion of Portuguese gastronomy".