Press Release / 09:30 AM CET 12/12/2024
Michelin Masters: Top Chefs Join Gourmey's First-In-The-Industry Cultivated Meat Culinary Advisory Board
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12 December 2024, Paris – Gourmey, a global leader in premium cultivated food, today unveiled the burgeoning industry’s first-ever culinary advisory board, bringing together world-renowned culinary masters Claude Le Tohic in the United States, Rasmus Munk in Denmark and Daniel Calvert in Japan. The trio of Michelin-starred chefs has been impressed by the company’s first cultivated meat product that honors culinary traditions and heritage while looking to the future. They are excited to work with Gourmey’s team to create bold new textures and flavors for its flagship product while reimagining fine dining and sparing land and resources.
The creation of this pioneering culinary advisory board represents a significant milestone for the Paris, France-based company as it strives to bring unparalleled taste and quality to decadent fine foods while enhancing environmental stewardship in a rapidly changing industry.
Claude Le Tohic, who presides over the kitchens at ONE65, a culinary concept with several restaurants in San Francisco, including O' by Claude Le Tohic, Daniel Calvert, the innovative mind leading Sézanne in Tokyo (ranked 1st in Asia), and Rasmus Munk, the visionary founder of Copenhagen’s avant-garde Alchemist (ranked 8th worldwide 1) bring exceptional artistry, honed
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through years of masterful execution in their respective kitchens. Le Tohic is known for his precise yet bold reinterpretations of French classics, blending technique with a rare sensitivity to seasonal ingredients. At Sézanne in Tokyo, the highly acclaimed Calvert has established himself as a rising star of Japanese-French fusion. Munk’s Alchemist, a temple to culinary art and experimentation, defies traditional boundaries, transforming the dining experience into an immersive journey that merges gastronomy with art, technology, and narrative. With a combined total of eight Michelin stars, these chefs embark on an exploration of uncharted gastronomic territory with Gourmey.
Since the company’s founding, Gourmey has wanted to involve the best culinary experts in the world in the development of its products. Their culinary advisory board chefs will showcase their vision by exploring creative ways to use Gourmey’s innovation, whether by crafting unique dishes, designing an entire menu, or reimagining their signature creations. This gastronomic opportunity broadens the horizons for high-end meat enthusiasts, chefs, and restaurants worldwide.
The chefs will provide invaluable, regular feedback on Gourmey's innovations and their guidance guarantees that the highest standards in the gastronomic world are applied to each product. The chefs will play a pivotal role in shaping the product's characteristics and qualities, curating pairings and flavors, and enable Gourmey to push the boundaries of creative cuisine.
Gourmey’s cultivated meat product, roasted with sweet and sour fig by three-Michelin-star chef Claude Le Tohic
The trio has praised Gourmey’s product for its aroma profile, featuring roasted top notes, buttery and caramelic heart notes, and a long-lasting base of intense meatiness that is set to satisfy foie gras aficionados, chefs, and restaurants globally. They unanimously praise its rich, buttery, and roasted flavors paired with a delicate mouthfeel. In terms of texture, it maintains its shape when raw and when pan-seared, forms a delicately caramelized outer crust while preserving a rich and creamy interior.
”I am joining Gourmey’s culinary board to be part of a new initiative towards a more sustainable culinary future. I would like my guests to approach this experience as I did, with an open mind,” said Daniel Calvert of Sezanne in Tokyo, which has received three Michelin Stars and has created a Signature Lacquered Peking Duck with cultivated foie gras.
"I am looking forward to being a part of Gourmey’s culinary advisory board, and following the progress of developing a product with so much potential. Cultivated foie gras represents an opportunity to bring back a beloved but often banned ingredient to the chef’s toolbox, and I think that every step towards improving animal welfare is tremendously important," said Rasmus Munk of The Alchemist in Copenhagen, which has received two Michelin Stars.
"I had the pleasure of trying Gourmey’s cultivated foie gras, and I must say I was genuinely impressed. Its exquisite color and exceptional consistency truly stand out at first sight. The flavor is remarkably well-balanced, and the texture maintains a delightful uniformity. I'm very excited about the opportunity to create new recipes with this product,” said Claude le Tohic, three Michelin-Starred chef, now head of San Francisco’s O’ by Claude le Tohic and creator of the dish Marbled Cultivated Foie Gras with Five Spices and Sauternes.
As global demand for high-end sustainable meats rises 2 , Gourmey is strategically positioned to penetrate the culinary ecosystems of the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and transform the most exciting food innovations into reality. Luxury and sustainability are increasingly intertwined in the food industry, with haute cuisine serving as a catalyst for high-quality, sustainable innovation.
Gourmey is confident that the strong regional influence of these chefs — in the U.S., Europe, and Japan — is playing a key role in unlocking premium distribution channels for fine meats. The company has already secured partnerships with fine food distributors, supply chain specialists, and research collaborators, further strengthening its position in the market.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with some of the world’s most innovative chefs. Their expertise in shaping culinary trends and their unwavering dedication to excellence are integral to our mission. We are proud to see them embrace and maximize the potential of our product. Through their leadership, they will help introduce our product to diverse audiences worldwide and ensure we deliver an unparalleled culinary experience to consumers.” shares Nicolas Morin-Forest, Gourmey’s CEO.
Since submitting market approval applications in five regions around the world—Europe, the US, Switzerland, the UK, and more—in the first half of 2024, Gourmey has continued to scale up its production process and is confident it has a near-term trajectory for profitability in the premium meat segment.
According to a 2023 study by Custom Market Insights, the global market for luxury foods is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.45% from 2024 to 2033.
About Gourmey
Founded in 2019, Gourmey creates sustainable gourmet products directly from animal cells by combining food innovation with culinary arts. The company now comprises a 60-strong international team at its food innovation center in Paris, France. Since its inception, Gourmey has secured over €65 million in public and private investments and is currently preparing for market entry, pending regulatory approvals in several regions. Gourmey focuses on providing new and delicious culinary experiences, with its flagship product set to offer a new choice for foie gras aficionados, chefs, and restaurants globally.
About Cultivated Foods
Cultivated foods and proteins are based on cell culture technologies that have been used to produce food for decades, for example, for growing yeasts for bread baking or for the production of rennet in cheese.
Beginning with a small sample of animal cells and nurturing them in a nutrient-rich growth medium, the cells grow into muscle, fat or other tissues. The growth medium contains the same ingredients, e.g., sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals that are required in animal nutrition. In Gourmey's cultivation process, no animal-derived components, such as fetal bovine serum, are used, ensuring that the final product is free of these elements. Furthermore, antibiotics are not used during production and are not present in the final product.
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