Audi teams up with three-Michelin-star Restaurant Noma and global nonprofit MAD to spark conversations around sustainability

• Restaurant Noma will operate an exclusive three-night dinner series in Los Angeles, July 19-21
• Audi to bring renowned MAD Monday speaker series to Los Angeles on July 18; tickets available to the public on June 13
• Audi to provide funding for six scholarship recipients from the LA hospitality community to attend groundbreaking MAD Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi of America announced today a collaboration with the Copenhagen-based Restaurant Noma – named #1 in the world by the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants organization in 2021, and with the food and hospitality nonprofit MAD, reinforcing a shared passion for innovation, focus on sustainability and commitment to driving positive change.

The partnership includes bringing a three-night noma dinner series to Los Angeles this July, hosting the first ever MAD Monday event in LA and providing funding for six scholarship recipients to attend the MAD Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark.

noma
Three-Michelin-star Restaurant Noma and its founder, Danish chef René Redzepi, are known for a focus on foraging, innovation and a unique interpretation of New Nordic Cuisine. From sourcing local ingredients to reducing food waste, noma seeks to be an inspiration for other organizations around the world to embrace the opportunity for a more sustainable business model. 

As part of the partnership with Audi, René and his team from Copenhagen will curate an exclusive invite-only three-night dinner series in Los Angeles from July 19-21. The menu for the dinner series will be a multi-course tasting menu of classic noma dishes inspired by their seasonal menus with a wine pairing selected by the noma team.

"I believe that organizations should continually innovate. At noma, we are constantly building things up to break them down, and then start over again—it's at the core of everything we do," said René Redzepi. "We should all take a step back into nature to find inspiration to reinvigorate the process of innovation."

Collaborating with noma strengthens Audi's mission to work with like-minded organizations that stand for living progress and creating a more sustainable future. Audi and noma share a commitment to sustainability and inclusion through actions grounded in purpose and a focus on creating a positive impact for individual and society as a whole.

"When you collaborate with like-minded people and companies you not only grow as an individual, but as an organization, too. I find Audi to be a forward-looking company with a strong focus on innovation; creating the ultimate design and experience to develop more sustainable solutions," said Peter Kreiner, noma CEO and co-owner.

MAD and The LA Scholars Award presented by Audi
MAD (Danish for "food") was established by Redzepi in 2011 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating sustainable change in restaurants and communities around the world. Launched in 2019, MAD Academy is an educational initiative based in Copenhagen that invites hospitality professionals to attend five-day intensive programs to gain the expertise, practical tools and inspiration they need to generate positive change in their workplaces, their communities, and the world at large.

Melina Shannon-DiPietro, executive director of MAD, says, "At MAD Academy, we ask ourselves: How might we build a restaurant industry with better working conditions and a more inclusive kitchen environment? How do we create an industry that contributes solutions to climate, environment, and biodiversity, while preserving the deliciousness and pleasure of the restaurant experience?"

As a long-time supporter of the culinary industry, Audi is announcing a pivotal scholarship program that will provide a remarkable opportunity for individuals from the Los Angeles hospitality community to attend the innovative MAD Academy in Copenhagen and learn how to adopt more sustainable practices that can impact and inspire others when they return home. The LA Scholars Award, MAD's most comprehensive scholarship to date, will provide funding for six recipients to attend their choice of MAD Academy program, including airfare, lodging, meals and all programmatic costs.

"Audi is honored to partner with MAD as our goals to drive change around diversity, equity and inclusion are very aligned," said Tara Rush, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. "With the LA Scholars Award, we're underscoring our mission to build a more sustainable and inclusive tomorrow, for automotive, culinary and beyond."

Individuals who reside and work in the greater Los Angeles area and who are interested in applying for the LA Scholars Award presented by Audi can find more information here: https://madacademy.dk/la-scholars/

MAD Monday
As part of its work to transform the hospitality industry, MAD hosts an ongoing series of public talks in local communities that are open to everyone with an interest in food and have an appetite for change. MAD Mondays began as a way to gather food fans and restaurant and hospitality workers on their traditional day off, Monday, to join in meaningful conversations with the goal of ultimately driving positive change in their industries.

MAD Monday LA, presented by Audi and MAD on July 18, will be the first MAD Monday event to be held this year and the first ever to be held in Los Angeles. Built on MAD and Audi's shared values of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, MAD Monday LA will be an evening of inspiration, learning, and community. The event, which will take place at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, will include a thought-provoking lecture and practical skill-building exercise designed to empower and inspire attendees.

The featured speaker will be Douglas McMaster, chef and owner of Silo. McMaster has been a lecturer for MAD Academy, inspiring the next generation of leaders to think differently about food systems, waste, and the industry at large. Doug is known as an influential speaker in Europe and MAD Monday LA will mark the first time he is presenting in the U.S.

The skill-building exercise will be a Planning Change Workshop – facilitated by renowned chef and MAD Academy director, Magnus Nilsson and program manager, Jack Muirhead. This workshop is a way for MAD Monday guests to get an exclusive peek into some of the transformative exercises that are typically reserved for students attending MAD's five-day Academy programs.

"Both Audi and MAD believe in spreading the power of positive impact—supporting talented individuals as they take their learnings from MAD back to their own communities to create long-lasting change," says Shannon-DiPietro.

Following the event, a reception featuring some of LA's diverse food offerings will allow the attendees, community members, young apprentices and luminaries the chance to network and connect.

To reserve tickets to attend MAD Monday LA, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mad-monday-la-presented-by-audi-registration-342884164767 There is no cost to attend and tickets will open to the general public on Monday, June 13.

noma
Led by its founder and head chef René Redzepi, the three Michelin starred Restaurant Noma, five times recognized as the World's Best, works with an intimate network of purveyors to develop a cuisine that expresses its region's culture and seasons. In February 2017, noma closed at the harbor side warehouse that it called home for fourteen years. Twelve months later, the restaurant reopened in a new location and with a new philosophy focused on the region's three distinct seasons and myriad micro-seasons.

Beyond Copenhagen, and driven by a continued desire to learn, experience and expand their creativity and tastes, noma has also undertaken three international residencies including Japan (2015), Australia (2016) and Mexico (2017).

René Redzepi
René Redzepi is the founder, head chef and co-owner of noma. René Redzepi is the founder of MAD, a nonprofit that aims to build a community of cooks, purveyors, thinkers and enthusiasts, with an appetite for knowledge, a passion for food, and a desire to improve the world around it. In March 2021, he founded Noma Projects, an initiative that aims to transform the restaurant's collective knowledge, craft, and spirit into an engine for creative output and positive change.

Redzepi is the author of Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, A Work in Progress, and the New York Times bestseller Foundations of Flavor: The Noma Guide To Fermentation. He is married to Nadine Levy Redzepi, and together they have three daughters: Arwen, Genta and Ro.

MAD
MAD (Danish for food) is a nonprofit organization that empowers the global hospitality community with the tools, inspiration, and knowledge to make a difference in their restaurants and the world. MAD was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2011 by René Redzepi, chef and owner of restaurant noma, with the ambition of transforming hospitality and driving change in food systems.

Since the very beginning, MAD has led important conversations about how the restaurant community can contribute to the health of the planet and positively contribute to the lives of those working in food. MAD's programs include a Symposium; a series of public talks in major cities around the globe; media shared through books, publications, and online videos; and VILD MAD, free resources to explore nature through foraging. In 2019, MAD launched its most ambitious project yet: an Academy supporting the food and hospitality industry with tools and knowledge for change makers.

SOURCE Audi of America

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