MAD Mondays is a regular conversation series that tackles the issues that matter most in food. It convenes on Monday—the traditional day of rest for restaurants—and is an opportunity for cooks, chefs, and front of house to gather together, expand their thinking, and discuss issues of relevance. Each MAD Monday focuses on a single theme—migration, the oceans, waste, creativity—and features notable leaders excited to share new and different perspectives. These conversations build community – and inspire and assist the restaurant community in making a real and sustainable difference in their communities.
MAD Mondays are open to the public and held throughout the year and around the globe. To keep up to date, please sign up for our newsletter.
Previous MAD Mondays include:
MAD Dispatches
San Francisco – New York – London. Fall 2018. A series to celebrate the first volume of MAD Dispatches, “You and I Eat the Same.” The volume, and each evening program, asks: How is immigration is fundamental to cuisine? Can good food be the common ground between different cultures?
Resilience
Sydney. 16 July 2018.How can cooks, servers, farmers and community leaders contribute to more, a resilient future for climate, cities, businesses and diverse communities?
Indigenous Foodways
Sydney. 16 April 2018. Demand for indigenous Australian ingredients is increasing with restaurant-led trends. What role can restaurants play in shaping the ways this demand is met?
Migration
15 May 2017. In an age of movement of people, ideas, and food across borders, what can we learn from our changing palate, plates, and kitchens?
The Ocean
7 February 2017. All too often our thinking about sustainability stops at the water’s edge. Can cooking, farming, and doing business restore our oceans?
Trash or Treasure
30 March 2015. How can we understand waste? And how should we move forward, if we want a beautiful, sustainable future?
What We Talk About When We Talk About Being a Chef
10 March 2014. Three chefs and a writer who have witnessed the evolution of the cooking profession over two decades came together to debate what it means to be a chef.
More Talks About Critics and Food
24 February 2014. A discussion about media, authority, and criticism in restaurants.
Stories on Limitations
22 April 2013. A broad examination of the creative processfollowed by a movie screening of “The Five Obstructions” by Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier.
Who Will Feed Us?
18 March 2013. Do we have the right systems in place in our restaurants to make room for food that benefits the environment? What is the role of cooking besides conviviality?
