President’s Message

WORLDCHEFS – FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thomas A. Gugler, Worldchefs President

Dear Chefs and Culinarians of the Worldchefs community,

Greetings to you all with the wish that you and your families are well, safe, and healthy. Like always, it is a great pleasure to write to Chefs from all around the globe.

I am so happy that we have the chance to meet for Worldchefs Congress & Expo, May 30 to June 2, 2022, in Abu Dhabi. I am sure that the Emirates Culinary Guild has organized a stunning event for our global Chefs and Culinarians, and I am ready to be astonished and overwhelmed. I am 100% confident that you will enjoy this event, especially amid these difficult times.

The past two years have been leading us into different areas, with changing tools and structures, being more digital, online and networking electronically. COVID-19 and the global pandemic destabilized us with millions of casualties worldwide. Not only this, it has also hit the culinary industry and culinarians very hard.

The second hit was, and is, the political situation and the war in Europe. I am ashamed that in 2022 we are facing such an unbearable situation, and, at the same time, it shows that we human beings still lack learning from experiences of the past. I personally disagree with such actions and especially the humanitarian factors, which cannot be tolerated.

The Chefs’ world always was and always will be a buffer between aggressions. Wars cannot be won by weapons. There must be a dialogue. Wars and conflicts end around a table, with Chefs preparing and serving food during the negotiations and the final conclusions. I therefore ask you all, as Chefs and Culinarians, to always think of this and encourage everyone to join us—to believe in the “Power of the White Jacket”.

With traveling and visiting colleagues disrupted in recent times, there have been drastic changes towards more digital activities. I am very proud that Worldchefs has achieved so many goals and offered numerous webinars, seminars, podcasts, and online events. I want to give a special thanks to the office team and the people behind the scenes. My special appreciation goes to my great Board of Directors, Continental Directors, and Executive Committee for their open mindedness, dedication, and hard work towards growing Worldchefs into a more modern direction and future.

I have been leading Worldchefs six years now, and during this time we have faced unprecedented times and many crises. Despite two major world-changing situations, these historic challenges have made both myself and Worldchefs better and stronger. I want to say directly now that the Chefs’ world must be united in acceptance and tolerance, respecting everyone regardless of color, race, gender, and belief.

Personally, I believe the future will bring many new opportunities, hopeful changes, and a way to come closer together. It is my strong belief that we as Chefs and Culinarians must push towards a happier, healthier, and more peaceful future ahead. All the current happenings around the world shall not hinder us as individuals and organizations from working towards a brighter future.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Congress, where the Chefs’ world will once again meet. I am counting on all of you to be there, to show strength and unity, to exchange know-how, to celebrate global chef friendship, and of course, to witness the Finals of our Global Chef Challenge competition series, which is always one of the highlights.

A big thanks goes to all the Committees for their hard work, their personal encouragement, and their dedication to support Worldchefs in all aspects.

Let us all enjoy a great, peaceful, and outstanding Congress together, and let us demonstrate a strong bond between Chef friends and Colleagues from all around the world.

Sending you the very best, for health and freedom for all.

Yours in Culinary Regards,

Thomas A. Gugler

President, Worldchefs

It is my strong belief that we as Chefs and Culinarians must push towards a happier, healthier, and more peaceful future ahead. All the current happenings around the world shall not hinder us as individuals and organizations from working towards a brighter future.