Gastronomy for Business
Biztronomy is designed to promote the values and culture of gastronomy, particularly among companies. It's a project dedicated to sharing our gastronomic heritage for a better tomorrow, today. Biztronomy's primary concern is the spirit of gastronomy, before the material. Instead of elaborating on cooking techniques, Biztronomy focuses on everything that surrounds gastronomy: national cultures, economics, politics, geopolitics, organization, sustainability, values. Some of Biztronomy's events focus on wine or cuisine. Here again, the spirit of gastronomy serves as a common thread: the backdrop is always the discourse that gives meaning.
What's in it for my business?
Big benefits for your company. Because that's where the project originated, from a 25-year experience of doing international business around gastronomy. This in turn led to a program of courses around the histrory of Gastronomy for the famous Maison LeNôtre. The benefits of adopting Gastronomy for business became clear : - Gastronomic culture at the executive level is essential, especially when doing business internationally. - Gastronomy is the ideal vector to talk about serious matters such as values, organization, marketing, production and so on. - Gastronomy is a powerful hinge between past and future, just as it is between social groups and cultures - Because it is the articulation of tradition and innovation and because it offers a dual approach, both vertically, in terms of social ties and horizontally, in terms of international practices; - Finally, because gastronomy is a powerful model of social and environmental responsibility, as it responds to the concerns of future generations in terms of equity and sustainability. Companies need to give their employees a sense of purpose, which gastronomy can offer through the heritage of its values and its outlook on the future.
Sustainability & Societal Cohesion
Dialogue - There can be no civil society without social dialogue. But social dialogue has broken down and is looking for new ways to share. Dialogue at the table is a tradition that goes back thousands of years to Greek banquets and symposia. Biztronomy highlights the codes and practices that facilitate conversation around the table.
Health - Contemporary health problems are often linked to eating habits. The rituals of cooking and eating, with their emphasis on the preparation of fresh produce, on shared time, at regular times, make a major contribution to improving people's health in a preventive way. It's essential to avoid a food and health divide arising in France and elsewhere as a result of food.
Ecological - Gastronomy focuses on eating better rather than eating more. This in itself reduces the consumption of raw materials. What's more, the history of contemporary Gastronomy makes us aware of the importance of enhancing ecosystems. The near disappearance of crayfish and the scarcity of eels bear witness to this. Last but not least, Gastronomy, by favoring short supply chains, contributes to reducing CO2 emissions.
Cultural - French gastronomy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a heritage that needs to be nurtured, shared and constantly worked on. These efforts are underpinned by an understanding of the history of France and Europe, and provide a better understanding of the path towards the modern world, as well as a shared vision.
Solidarity - Table manners should be a source of solidarity, not division. Manners are codes to be transmitted, not bulwarks to separate. Solidarity means that one must make the effort to transmit, and the other to receive.
Values
Gastronomy is above all a set of values to build a better world : sharing, excellence, effort, free will, continuous improvement, curiosity Sharing - We are social animals. Sharing can be learned, and giving and receiving require constant practice. The table lends itself to this, and applies as much to ideas as to pleasures. Listening - We can hardly get along if we don't know how to listen to each other. Time at the table is a parenthesis that gives everyone time to express themselves, leaving judgment in the checkroom. Effort - The energy expended, the fight against inertia, the work and its fruit. The path is not an effort; the effort is the path. Free will - Being convinced that the individual is only human because he transforms, whether his nature or matter. Humans are responsible for their own food. Continuous improvement - being convinced that we must always strive to improve and surpass ourselves, each at our own pace. Attention to Detail - believing that greatness requires the ability to focus on the infinitely small. Excellence - Appreciating excellence, recognizing it, respecting it, and respecting each person's pace and abilities. Pragmatism - Just as gastronomy cannot do without food, ideas cannot develop without awareness of reality. Transmission - Knowing how to help those who wish to learn and grow, without condescension or arrogance, and helping them in uncomfortable situations, when things go wrong. Mindfulness - Gastronomy is a quest for mindfulness, of the effort that others have put into the environment and the cuisine. Sustainability - Gastronomy, by prioritizing quality over quantity, by emphasizing individual rather than machine effort, and by valuing freshness and proximity, helps create a virtuous, sustainable circle.
Genesis of Biztronomy
The origins of Biztronomy lie in courses for business school students. As part of a program offered by Maison Lenôtre, the aim was to give students from all over the world a global perspective on French gastronomy.
To make the courses more accessible, examples drawn from the world of business were used to better convey some of the main principles of gastronomy.
Biztronomy extends this notion of bridges, to build a more attentive and sustainable world, proposing values that enrich humanity through knowledge and exchange.
Quickly it became clear that, beyond its practical benefits, gastronomy offers strong values that can inspire entrepreneurs, managers and employees alike.
Our Vision
Biztronomy is a new vision of gastronomy. It's mission is to promote the spirit, notably through conversation so as to make it a bridge between cultures, both horizontal and vertical.
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Biztronomy is a Circle of individuals promoting the interaction between gastronomy and business.This circle aims to become a mission company promoting the values and best practices of gastronomy. Gastronomy is cooked up as a vector both to help understand business as well as to develop business ties.
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As in business, there are codes in gastronomy. We think these codes are universal and can become a fundamental language for people throughout the globe.
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Gastronomy is a matter of mind and spirit.
Business through Gastronomy
What better tool for business than a good meal? Where else can we discover, understand, build trust or compromise? What better combination to reflect upon two opposing strategies of business : volume or quality ?
Biztronomy is dedicated to shedding a new light on gastronomy, in particular from France, by exploring its evolution over a millennium.
Through gastronomy we can understand culture, innovation, management, people and processes and ultimately gain a balanced Weltanschauung comprising a search for quality and the necessity of efficiency.
Where else do we have to balance l'exigence of a refined meal with the necessity of punctuality ?
The way we eat is a reflection of our society. "The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves" wrote Brillat-Savarin. Pushing it further, the harmony of nations passes by the table. It is where we share, build bonds, learn to offer and to receive. And those are the basics of business ever since trade existed.
The overall concept is the convergence of courses on gastronomy and a long experience in international business consulting with a focus on innovation. Please sign-in for the newsletter, make suggestions about topics, or comment on the posts.
About
Philippe Cartau, Chief Editor
Born in North America, I moved to France in the early 90s where I immediately started scrutinizing the French culture with a particular emphasis on gastronomy. Early on in my business career, I was naturally inclined to take out customers from around the world to dinner. Choosing the right venue, explaining the local culture, illustrating etiquette, detailing what made French gastronomy so peculiar. All of this became a regular activity, to the point where, in addition to consulting in technological innovation, I was asked to provide courses to business students on the subject of French Gastronomy. From there the concept of Biztronomy seemed obvious. Use business to understand Gastronomy in general and it French roots in particular. More...
