International Chef's Day: Showing Appreciation to Chefs

It's possible that humanity's earliest experiments were experiments with food.

After all, food is one of our basic needs. To make food tastier and extract more calories we naturally began experimenting with flavorings and cooking methods.

As such, the human chef was born.

In celebration, International Chef's Day comes around every year on October 20th. If you are looking for a way to show appreciation to chefs this year, look no further than this guide.

International Chef's Day History

International Chef’s Day was created in 2004 by chef Dr. Bill Gallagher. During its inception, Dr. Gallagher was president of WorldChefs, an organization founded in 1928 with over 100 chef associations.

WorldChef's focus was on educating children worldwide on the importance of healthy eating and showcasing the careers of chefs.

Long before the official International Chef's Day was announced, WorldChefs acted as an international chef's association that facilitated chef promotion, culinary excellence, healthy foods, and sustainability.

This tradition continues every year on International Chef's Day, highlighting the role of chefs in passing down culinary knowledge and skills to the next generation.

Each year WorldChefs also has an International Chef's Day theme. For 2022, this theme is "Growing a Healthy Future."

In addition, WorldChefs also provides a toolkit of tips and recipes from around the world that you can use to create new dishes and pass along to others.

Celebrating International Chef's Day

The most obvious way to celebrate International Chef's Day? Get in the kitchen!

Aside from connecting with food and creating a dish, there are many other ways to celebrate chefs on this special day.

1. Cook a Unique and Healthy Dish

International Chef's Day and WorldChefs were originally founded to promote the importance of preparing healthy foods.

To celebrate this commitment, try making a unique and healthy recipe you have never tried before. You can get family, kids, and friends involved with the process to make it an educational yet fun event.

2. Take or Gift a Cooking Class

Attending a cooking class is one of the best ways to celebrate International Chef's Day.

After all, cooking classes provide everything International Chef's Day stands for: education, the art of cuisine, culinary knowledge, and fun.

Cooking classes typically offer various cuisine choices depending on the day you would like to attend. For instance, some classes may focus on Italian cuisine one week and Japanese the next.

You may also find quite a few deals on cooking classes during the week or the day of International Chef's day.

P.S.: Cooking classes also make an excellent gift for young adults interested in becoming chefs or even for friends and family who want to expand their knowledge.

3. Visit a Local Restaurant

Of course, celebrating International Chef's Day can also involve watching chefs in action. And what better way to do this than to visit a restaurant?

There is always the option of visiting your favorite haunt, or you can switch things up for the day and try out new cuisine.

Giving a new cuisine a try can often open your mind (and taste buds) to new styles, textures, and flavors that you can incorporate into your dishes.

Dining at a local restaurant that sources locally also helps support local chefs and local farmers. This is excellent for promoting sustainability and embracing this year's theme of "Growing a Healthy Future."

If you are deeply in the chef spirit, you can also consider leaving a handwritten thank you note to the chef for the excellent food service.

4. Get or Gift a New Cookbook

It's no secret that cookbooks are usually written by chefs. By purchasing a new cookbook you can help support their work and try out new recipes and flavors.

Cookbooks also make great gifts for just about anyone interested in food. If there is an aspiring chef in your family, gifting a cookbook could be yet another source of inspiration for them.

5. Attend a Local Event

Many cities and towns host events for International Chef's Day. Browse around your local school or government event lists to see if they are hosting any workshops or educational seminars.

These events are an excellent opportunity for learning about cuisine, roles of restaurant staff, kitchen hierarchy, and possibly even grabbing delicious samples.

6. Consider a Kid Kitchen

If you have young children, treating them to a kid's kitchen setup is an excellent way to help them feel like they are in the kitchen without the safety risks.

Kid's kitchens allow children to unleash their imagination as they play chef.

They will be able to emulate how adults cook in the kitchen, which will give them early practice for a potential future with food.

If your child is very interested in cooking and being in the kitchen, try to go for a kid kitchen setup that looks similar to an "adult" kitchen.

Think less "toy" appearance and more modern kitchen appeal. This will make your child feel like "one of the chefs."

Celebrate Chefs: Source and Grow with the Best

At Ambassador Brands, we utilize a global network of producers to source quality ingredients for your needs (ones that chefs would be proud of, no less!).

We are also a full-service brand representation agency that combines a passion for good food, innovative marketing solutions, and market expertise to grow your brand and drive sales.

Because of our dedication to food and the chefs that create tasty art with it, celebrating International Chef's Day has a special place in our hearts.

We also carry a variety of imported cheese and German cheese for your international cheese needs.

To discuss food importing, sourcing, and growing your brand with us, get in touch here.