Pioneers of Plant-Based Fine Dining: A Conversation with the Chefs of Vedge

Join us for an exclusive event featuring Philadelphia locals Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby, the visionary chefs and co-owners of the renowned VEDGE restaurant. Known for their innovative approach to plant-based cuisine, Landau and Jacoby will discuss their culinary journey, sustainability philosophy, and creative processes that have made them a groundbreaking force in the world of fine vegetarian dining. They will share first-hand insights of the challenges and innovations shaping the future of food and offer a unique perspective on gastronomy in a climate changed world. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or new to plant-based eating, this event promises to be an unforgettable culinary education.

SPEAKERS

Husband/Wife team Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby are the Chefs/Owners of Philadelphia's renowned vegetable restaurant, Vedge.  

Chef Rich Landau, a pioneer of the modern, plant based dining experience, opened his first restaurant, Horizons, in 1994. His mission: to demonstrate the creativity and satisfaction of vegetable cuisine. Through his 3+ decades in the restaurant industry, teaching, consulting and in media appearances including winning Food Network’s Chopped, Landau has used the carnivore’s palate he grew up with to translate his vision for vegan cuisine to a broader audience. Cooking Light Magazine said “Landau takes a guns-a-blazing approach to flavor”. Chef Landau is a 6-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Mid Atlantic as well as twice being named “Best chef in Philadelphia” by Philadelphia Magazine.

Chef Kate Jacoby studied French and Sociology at Georgetown. In 2001, she switched gears to join Landau at Horizons, the restaurant she had already grown to know and love as a customer. Her work in the kitchen beside Landau helped hone her pastry skills and shaped her approach to desserts. A James Beard Nationally Nominated Pastry Chef and a Certified Sommelier, her recent focus also includes overseeing the Wine Program and working the couples small vegetable farm in Chester County.

Landau and Jacoby met in 2001 and began to grow the business together. In 2009 The couple and their team cooked the first Vegan meal ever served at the James Beard House in Manhattan. In 2011 they opened “Vedge” in an elegant Center city Philadelphia brownstone to national acclaim. Landau and Jacoby have authored five cookbooks, including “Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small that Redefine Vegetable Cooking” and the newly released released Vedge Cocktail Book.

Landau and Jacoby are both native Philadelphians who take pride in helping shape the culinary landscape in their region and who are committed to further raising the bar for vegetable cuisine across the country.  When not in the kitchen, they love to travel with their son Rio, always on the hunt for their next great food experience.

MODERATOR

Deputy Director Michael Weisberg is the Bess W. Heyman President’s Distinguished Professor of Philosophy. A climate diplomat, philosopher of science, climate policy researcher, and experienced academic leader, he has negotiated and achieved collective outcomes in the complex landscape of climate, ocean, and development issues at the highest levels of international diplomacy.

An expert on the climate needs of small island developing states, Weisberg currently serves as senior advisor to Jamaica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as an advisor to the Fiji and Palau negotiating teams at COP. Weisberg was a leading voice in the development of the “mosaic of solutions” for addressing loss and damage due to the adverse impacts of climate change, which led to major breakthroughs on the topic at COP27 and COP28. This framework was developed in collaboration with the Maldivian Government and the International Peace Institute, where he is a Non-resident Senior Advisor.

Weisberg serves as editor-in-chief of Biology and Philosophy and director of the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance. He is the author of Simulation and Similarity: Using Models to Understand the World, co-author of the landmark photographic study Galápagos: Life in Motion, and a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Weisberg educates the next generation of environmental leaders in the classroom, at the negotiating table, and in the field, ensuring that their voices have maximal impact on addressing the climate crisis.