5 Questions with Jon Polley

5 Questions with Jon Polley

Jon Polley felt like a sell-out when, in need of a better salary and a saner schedule, he left his job at a hip Italian bakery to work in one of Pittsburg’s largest hospital canteens. But what initially seemed like a decidedly uncool career move soon proved to be the...
5 Questions with Kirsten Kirby Shoote

5 Questions with Kirsten Kirby Shoote

Kirsten Kirby Shoote doesn’t feel like an activist, but they are all about changing the status quo, whether it’s pushing for cultural responsibility or bending farming laws in the name of sustainability. As an urban farmer, seed keeper, and member of the...
5 Questions with Sean Gabbiani

5 Questions with Sean Gabbiani

Asked where he is from, Sean Gabbiani usually responds with “It’s complicated.” Half American, half Italian, born in France and raised in a handful of European cities, the multilingual (six and counting) chef and two-time MAD Academy alum has called many places home,...
5 Questions with Laura Cabrera

5 Questions with Laura Cabrera

At just 21, Laura Cabrera found herself as head chef at Nectar, one of Mexico’s top restaurants. “I was almost crying every night,” she recalls. “I was suddenly put in this huge position, and I didn’t know what to do.” Now, more than 10 years later, Laura is running...
5 Questions with Jack Feeny

5 Questions with Jack Feeny

British chef Jack Feeny arrived at MAD Academy in 2021 with a good deal of knowledge about sustainability under his belt: in fact, he had already published a manual, produced with the help of other chefs and called No Mise En Plastic (get it?) that offered tested...