UPenn's Lauder Institute Launches "Lauder Food Fight” Website to Profile Social Work of Chefs, Detail Causes, and Encourage Involvement

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 08, 2014

MBA/MA students from the Lauder Institute at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania are exploring how the passion for food can turn into a passion for social good.

Lauder Food Fight was born out of a Global Knowledge Lab research project, a graduation requirement for a joint Wharton MBA/Masters in International Studies. The students researched how chefs can step outside the kitchen to help change the world with the power of food. They also researched the many different areas where food systems can be enhanced – and the relationship they have to other sectors of the global economy such as energy, culture and education. The students also seek to get others inspired to use food to help address global social problems.

“Why do we only have to be feeding the few when we can be feeding the many?” asks Chef José Andrés, one of Washington DC’s most successful restaurateurs who also founded World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization that focuses on empowering people by “building smart kitchens, training on clean cookstoves, creating jobs, and strengthening local business.” The organization initially focused on relief efforts following the Haitian earthquake, but has expanded into Central America, South America and Africa.

"Food is a powerful medium," says Mauro Guillén, Director of the Lauder Institute and an advisor to the project. “Global challenges such as hunger, disease, obesity, sanitation – can be addressed as food systems are improved. The world’s culinary experts and food professionals have shown that when they lend their knowledge and influence to projects outside the kitchen, they can really make a difference and be an inspiration to others. These students have done an amazing job profiling and promoting that passion.”

Food Fight team members, Zuriñe Eguizábal, Jake Whalen, Campbell Marshall, Azita Habibi, and Andrew Smolenski are also pursuing Master’s Degrees in International Studies (MA) through the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute. Lauder offers advanced business and cultural studies through nine languages programs including Hindi, Arabic, Chinese , Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Russian. Lauder’s newest expansion includes a Global Program, designed specifically for multilingual Lauder candidates with interest in deepening their inter-cultural and cross-border knowledge.

Learn more about the project, the culinary geniuses involved, and how you can contribute to the collective good of what food can inspire, visit http://www.lauderfoodfight.com.

About the Lauder Institute:

The University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute, founded in 1983, combines a world–renowned Wharton MBA with a Master’s in International Studies, offering advanced business and cultural studies in nine languages programs that include Hindi, Arabic, Chinese , Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Russian. This advanced language and foreign culture training, a two-month in-country immersion program, and a Master’s Thesis from the School of Arts & Sciences all prepare Lauder Fellows for the ever-evolving global economy. This year’s offerings include the new Global Program for students who are already fluent in several languages but have interest in deepening their intercultural and cross-border knowledge. Graduates join the diverse, supportive and committed worldwide Lauder community – continuing a nearly 30-year tradition of international business leadership. The Lauder Institute also offers an MA/JD joint degree. For more information, visit http://www.lauder.wharton.upenn.edu.

About the Wharton School:

Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 annual participants in executive education programs annually and a powerful alumni network of 92,000 graduates.

About the School of Arts & Sciences:

The School of Arts & Sciences provides a foundation for the scholarly excellence that has established Penn as one of the world’s leading research universities. The School enrolls 6500 undergraduates, admits approximately 250 students each year into its 32 doctoral programs, and offers a wide range of programs for lifelong learning. International studies are a vibrant enterprise at the School of Arts & Sciences. In addition to offering instruction in 50 languages, the school is home to an array of centers, programs and institutes dedicated to the study of world regions and contemporary global issues and conflicts.

PDF Print