The link between eating well and personal development
Having trained as an agronomist, taste expert Véronique Anastasie extols the virtues of sensory food education for learning how to eat better. Founded in 2012, her company Planetgout is the fruit of 20 years of work in the food-processing sector, consulting with artisans in different trades (including chocolate makers, pastry chefs, bakers) and training.
With Planetgout, Véronique Anastasie aims to help farmers and artisans develop their products to raise their profiles, and to educate consumers on the importance of the quality of what they eat. Because, for Véronique, there is a direct link between eating well and personal development.
"People need to realize that they have to fill their bodies with good food—and by that, I mean non-GMO, non-hybridised foods, which are not filled with chemicals," asserts the taste specialist. "It is very important that an artisan knows that they are responsible for what they sell. They must be conscientious and select high-quality raw materials."
The “from bean to bar” concept
For artisans, Véronique Anastasie champions the concept of sustainable food: "Being aware of what you are selling, taking pride in what you do and knowing how to explain it".
This is at the heart of the "from bean to bar" concept for chocolate proposed by Institut Culinaire de France: a quality raw material which is transformed from raw material to the finished product under the supervision of an artisan.
Being aware of what you are selling, taking pride in what you do and knowing how to explain it
And whilst chefs should have the capacity to stand out from the crowd, Véronique Anastasie supports a code of ethics to underpin French craftsmanship. "Chefs must be creative, but not sell their soul, and they should maintain a code of ethics of developing sustainable food," she advises. "They must be able to find local raw materials, work closely with local producers and create a strong bond between the farmer’s family, the artisan and consumers who will eat the product. This is this solution that I am trying to create."
And in order to do that, there are no tools better than our five senses, the taste entrepreneur explains.
