René Rezepi’s Groundbreaking Food Industry Symposium Returns This August

MAD, Noma chef René Redzepi’s culinary symposium, is back in Copenhagen this summer. On August 26 and 27, chefs, food world leaders, and other attendees will gather to discuss ways to improve the industry, and the particular focus of MAD 6 won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to the news this year.

“This year we’ve seen the restaurant community — and the world at large — rocked by stories and experiences of women, of immigrants, of minorities,” the MAD team explains on its website. “We now see our friends, collaborators, and colleagues asking how — as individuals and as an industry — we can create a world where opportunities are available to all people.”

MAD, the nonprofit Redzepi founded in 2011, hasn’t hosted a symposium since 2016. The theme of MAD 5 was “Tomorrow’s Kitchen.” That year the conference adopted a more collaborative approach than in years past and hosted breakout discussion sessions led by attendees, in addition to traditional talks and presentations.

Chefs, servers, sommeliers, farmers, teachers, and anyone else hoping to attend must apply for a ticket on the MAD website. Once accepted, tickets cost around $580 (or 3,500 DKK, up from 3,000 DKK in 2016) and cover both days at the symposium in Copenhagen, including breakfasts and lunches.

The application process is competitive — in 2014, 6,000 people applied for 450 available slots. Redzepi selects the lineup of speakers for each symposium and past contributors have included some of the biggest names in the industry, including David Chang, Alex Atala, Massimo Bottura, and Ferran Adrià.

Applications are open today through April 15.

• MAD [Official]