Gastronomy as a tool for social transformation

Credit: Disclosure/J.Chagassa

By: Renato Silva / Favela em Pauta – Lupa do Bem

Talking about social transformation in a national scenario devastated by successive crises and a global pandemic, which intends all possible evils at once, is already an immense challenge. Thinking, then, about this transformation from the point of view of gastronomy, would be something even more challenging, given the difficult reality in Brazil precisely when it comes to hunger, especially in recent years.

To give you an idea, the Brazilian Research Network on Food Sovereignty and Security (PENSSAN Network) launched, in April 2021, the National Survey on Food Insecurity in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil, a survey carried out in 2,180 households in the five regions of the country, in urban and rural areas, between December 5 and 24, 2020.

According to the survey, in 55.2% of the households the inhabitants lived with food insecurity, an increase of 54% since 2018 (36.7%), which already sets the tone for the size of the problem for those who think about transforming people’s lives through gastronomy. But there are those who consider it possible.

Wealth is shared in the kitchen

In the case of João Diamante, who is the creator of social projects in the Andaraí region – RJ, the chef founded in 2016 a project that lived in his dreams since childhood: Diamantes na Cozinha, which allows social transformation through gastronomy. Now, in 2021, the project has just graduated its seventh class and has already graduated more than 150 young people, in addition to thousands of people directly or indirectly impacted by the project’s performance.

It was through culture, art and education that João was able to overcome challenges and become a chef and ambassador for the Instituto Identidades do Brasil for Racial Equality, called ID_BR, in addition to being an influencer in various spaces on the internet and Brazilian TV.

And it is precisely in education that João bets on making his trajectory a router of opportunities in the gastronomy sector.

“The idea is to use gastronomy as a tool for transformation and social inclusion. And it’s a way of educating too, a more pleasant way of educating, a very easy tool to deal with, it’s charming”, says the chef.

Aimed at socially vulnerable people over 18 years of age, training in the project also offers knowledge in HR, marketing, management, administration and financial education.

A graduate student at Diamantes na Cozinha, Danielle Elias guarantees that life has improved after the project. “Diamonds in the Kitchen made me not only a better professional, but a better person”, she says.

To learn more and follow all the steps of the project, follow @diamantesnacozinha and @joaodiamante on social media.