Givaudan dispatches global ‘Chef’s Council’ to Mexico City for hot & spicy breakthroughs
In a move to bridge the gap between high-end culinary artistry and mass-market food manufacturing, Givaudan has announced the 7th edition of its renowned Chef’s Council, set to take place from March 23–27, 2026.
Marking over 25 years of the programme, the event will assemble five of the world’s most influential chefs to explore the next frontier of “hot and spicy” — a category now sought after by over 80% of global consumers.
Beyond the burn: the science of sensation
While many food brands focus on heat levels (Scoville units), Givaudan’s 2026 initiative aims to deconstruct the multi-dimensional experience of spice. The council will investigate “hotness” through a scientific lens, focusing on:
- Pungency and lingering: how heat persists on the palate.
- Contrasting effects: the interplay between cooling agents and thermal heat.
- Nuanced nuances: layering spices to trigger specific sensory reactions beyond simple irritation.
“Spiciness is about far more than just heat,” explained Thomas Ullram, global marketing director at Givaudan. “We are uniting culinary creativity with deep flavour expertise to push boundaries, embracing the nuances that make heat truly satisfying.”
From “hotness treks” to scalable solutions
The Chef’s Council is a rigorous innovation pipeline. The week-long session includes a “Hotness Trek” — a deep dive into Mexico City’s legendary street food and markets — followed by intensive cooking workshops.
The goal is to translate these “street-level” inspirations into formulation-friendly, scalable, and sustainable solutions. By observing how master chefs layer ingredients and pair contrasting tastes, Givaudan’s scientists can develop new technologies that allow industrial food manufacturers to replicate authentic, complex flavour profiles at scale.
The 2026 global culinary roster
This year’s council features a diverse “dream team” of experts specialising in the world’s most sophisticated spicy cuisines:
| Region | Chef | Expertise/specialism |
| LATAM | Ricardo Muñoz Zurita | The “architect” of modern Mexican culinary heritage. |
| NOAM | Saul Montiel | Merging Mexican street roots with North American dining. |
| APAC | Qian YiBin (钱以斌) | Master of Sichuan and Hunan complex flavour systems. |
| EU | Cyrus Todiwala | London’s pioneer of nuanced, Michelin-recognised Indian spice. |
| SAMEA | Mythrayie Iyer | Award-winning innovator from India’s Farmlore and Spice Conscious. |
Driving the wow factor
For Givaudan’s customers — ranging from snack giants to ready-meal producers — the Chef’s Council provides the “secret sauce” for product differentiation. Past editions of the council have led to industry-first breakthroughs in taste technology, helping brands meet the rising consumer expectation for “global-authentic” heat.
As the 2026 session concludes in March, the insights gathered will be distilled into a new suite of flavour tools designed to help retailers and manufacturers deliver the elusive wow factor to a spice-hungry public.
