Vaughn Tan's Tips on How to Be More Creative in Food

Vaughn Tan - a strategy consultant, author and professor - is an innovation expert in fine-dining kitchens, and has spent the past 15 years of his life researching how to build teams that are brimming with new ideas.

Tan was a key speaker at the debut food conference, Lengua by Gluttonomy, in Miami, where he shared an accessible way of thinking about and activating innovation in the food industry.

Take a look at the video of his talk (part one, below). It's well worth a watch as he really puts innovation in perspective and takes away the fear factor.

Tan divides the innovation process into four very simple parts: borrowing, awareness, desperation and experimentation. By giving tangible industry examples, he helps remove obstacles to innovation, like fear of failure and risk, encouraging chefs and restaurateurs to embrace change. 

He draws on personal examples from time spent in kitchens like Noma, The Fat Duck and with the MAD team in Copenhagen, proving that innovation is a process that can daunt even the best, but with a methodical approach can have a very successful outcome.

Take a look at part two of his talk below:

The talk was one of many given at Lengua by Gluttonomy, on 30 April at Miami Ironside, co-produced with Fine Dining Lovers and sponsored by S.Pellegrino, Estrella Damm and Sauce. Other well-known industry experts, like Lara Gilmore (president of Food for Soul and co-owner of Osteria Francescana in Italy), and chef Mauro Colagreco (Restaurant Mirazur, France) among many more, addressed the event's main topics: innovation, restaurant marketing, sustainability as a brand value, and tech and NFTs as marketing tools.