BIBIMBAP, WHEN SPEEDHACKING, PEOPLE AND ORGANIC FOOD ARE PUT IN THE SAME POT

In April 11th 2014, 60 designers, social innovators, businesses, food specialists and marketing & communication experts convened for a hard-working 12 hours. The occasion: Bibimbap, the first speedhacking dedicated to organic food during the Milan Design Week, organized by Future Food Institute, a philanthropic project born from the experience of the Bologna-based food incubator You Can Group. The lot organized in partnership with Alce Nero, well-known organic food producer with the willingness to find solutions to the main problems affecting the organic food sector and the traditional perception of consumer. As Lucio Cavazzoni, Alce Nero President states, “Those who use a product belong to a cycle. This is the difference between user and consumer”. Everything is based on the metaphor of Bibimbap (Korean term and literally “mixed rice”) which with its four-stage process (collect, peel, chop and cook), introduces a speedhacking model aiming at changing the paradigms of organic food through the hacking of concepts, products, systems and services within the organic food system. Which are the main rules? Collaboration, sharing, experimentation. The whole process was effectively lead by the inspirational words of Alce Nero farmers and producers as well as food specialists: “Look around, maybe in the evening so that less people can see you, and hug a tree tightly. It will give you an extraordinary energy.” (Benedetto Fracchiolla, extra-virgin olive oil producer), “Producing organic food means sharing with the human kind that Real Food is passion, sharing and respect. After all respect is bread, pasta and dad are all the same.”(Maria Desiante, farmer from Puglia) and “Love is the most important ingredient to cook. Love is organic, by nature” (Simone Salvini, Chef of Ops!, Rome). The creativity of participants mixed together with the enthusiasm and inspiration of producers and food experts are the perfect ingredients for the final prototypes: the new and captivating slogan of Italian organic food, the street food ambassador of natural yeast, the idea of a sexy organic food, the union between market and culinary workshop, the new “social” label capable of being an intermediate between producer and consumer. The whole event ended with the cooking show of FoodDj Nick Difino, who in turn delivered his prototype, this time represented by the out-and-out Bibimbap.

Written by Mariana Mea