Givaudan unveils 7th edition of its Chef’s Council in Mexico City, marking over 25 years of culinary collaboration

Givaudan announces the 7th edition of its Chef’s Council, taking place from 23-27 March 2026 in Mexico City. This year’s event will explore the art and science of hot and spicy sensations from around the world.

Givaudan’s Chef’s Council is the only global initiative of its kind, uniting Givaudan’s unmatched flavour expertise with top culinary minds from every continent. Launched over 25 years ago, it has become a hallmark of Givaudan’s culinary innovation, uniting science and creativity to shape the future of food. The outcomes of each Chef’s Council has led to industry-first breakthroughs and new technologies, transforming creative concepts into practical solutions that help customers deliver food experiences that resonate with consumers around the world.

This milestone edition promises to unlock new dimensions of hotness: from extreme pungency and spiciness to lingering, cooling, and contrasting effects.

“Around the world, more than 80% of people are eager to explore hot and spicy foods from multiple cultures, yet spiciness is about far more than just heat. Through this 7th edition of Givaudan’s Chef’s Council, we’re uniting the culinary creativity of world-class chefs with our deep expertise in flavour and taste to push the boundaries of hot and spicy, embracing all the nuances and sensations that make heat truly satisfying.” 

Thomas Ullram, Global Marketing Director

During this intense culinary week, participants will take part in a Hotness Trek, exploring markets, street food, and restaurants for inspiration, followed by cooking workshops. Together, they will examine cooking techniques, layering of ingredients, taste pairing, and contrasts that trigger new sensory reactions, bridging the gap between culinary artistry and scientific innovation.

At the heart of the Givaudan’s Chef’s Council are the chefs themselves. Their hands-on experimentation drives concepts that help food manufacturers capture that elusive ‘wow factor’, creating products that feel authentic, exciting, and unmistakably satisfying. Representing diverse culinary traditions from across the globe, five exceptional chefs will collaborate with Givaudan experts to explore the next frontier of hot and spicy innovation:

LATIN AMERICA

Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita (Mexico City)
Azul Histórico, Azul Condesa, Azul y Oro

Chef, researcher, and author known as ‘the anthropologist of Mexican cuisine’. Honored by TIME magazine as ‘Prophet and Preserver of Mexican Culinary Tradition’, he has served as a consultant for UNESCO recognising Mexican cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

NORTH AMERICA

Chef Saul Montiel (New York City)
Executive Chef at Cantina Rooftop, Owner of Única Tacos y Tequila

Television personality, and Epicurious chef, he has been featured on Telemundo, Univision, Today Show, Good Day NY, NY Post, Food Insider, Forbes, Time Out, Cooking Channel, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveller, Food Network’s Chopped, and more.

ASIA PACIFIC

Chef Qian YiBin (钱以斌) (Shanghai)
Founder of Fusion Creative Kitchen

Renowned contemporary master chef of Chinese Cuisine specialising in Sichuan and Hunan flavour systems, China Olympic culinary team coach, World Chefs Challenge international judge.

EUROPE

Chef Cyrus Todiwala (London)
Chef Proprietor of Café Spice Namasté

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, author, and culinary educator, BBC Food Personality of the Year 2014, Catey Award winner, his Café Spice Namasté is one of the world's longest-running Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants.

SAMEA

Chef Mythrayie Iyer (Bengaluru)
Head Chef at Farmlore and Founder of Spice Conscious Studio

Culinary innovator with a strong commitment to sustainability and regional ingredients, winner of the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2022-2023 for South Asia and the Middle East.

By turning creativity into formulation‑friendly, scalable, and more sustainable solutions, this edition of Givaudan’s Chef’s Council promises to deliver complex, dynamic sensations that help customers meet rising consumer expectations.

Discover more about Givaudan’s Chef’s Council and follow the journey of hot and spicy innovation.

About Givaudan
Givaudan is a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing. We celebrate the beauty of human experience by creating for happier, healthier lives with love for nature. Together with our customers we deliver food experiences, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions that make people look and feel good. In 2024, Givaudan employed over 16,900 people worldwide and achieved CHF 7.4 billion in sales with a free cash flow of 15.6%. With a heritage that stretches back over 250 years, we are committed to driving long-term, purpose-led growth by improving people’s health and happiness and increasing our positive impact on nature. This is Givaudan. Human by nature. Discover more at: www.givaudan.com.

About Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing 
Powered by innovation and creativity, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing aims to shape the future of food by becoming the co-creation partner of choice to its customers. Built on its global leadership position in flavours and taste, the Company goes beyond to create food experiences that do good and feel good, for body, mind and planet. With an expanded portfolio of products across flavours, taste, functional and nutritional solutions and a deep knowledge of the food ecosystem, Givaudan’s passion is to collaborate with customers and partners to develop game-changing innovations in food and beverage. This is Givaudan. Human by nature. Learn more about how we are shaping the future of food at www.givaudan.com/taste-wellbeing.

For further information please contact
Eve Landen, Taste & Wellbeing Communications
E eve.landen@givaudan.com