Connecting Cultures Through Cuisine
Each semester, an international culinary thought-leader comes to campus for a one- to two-week residency. While here, each visitor trains staff, connects with students and researchers, and offers remarks followed by a reception with a menu inspired by the chef.
Global Table Fellows are selected based on their notable commitments to environmental and social good, their reputation for culinary innovation, and the region where they live and work. While on campus, the academic components of their visit are supported by one of MacMillan’s seven regional councils, giving them additional access to faculty members and students with deep interests in their region.
Spring 2026 Fellow
Rodrigo Pacheco is an Ecuadorian chef who fulfills the diplomatic role of Goodwill Ambassador in Ecuador at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He attracted global attention through his culinary art and his innovative project, “The Largest Biodiverse Edible Forest in the World,” which he develops as Executive Director of the Bocavaldivia Foundation to address socio-environmental causes through a mechanism for ecosystem conservation, reconnection, restoration, and strengthening, catalyzed by gastronomy.
He is the founder of the Bocavaldivia Research and Development Restaurant, located in Puerto Cayo, Manabí, and the founder of Foresta Restaurant, located in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. His vision, career, and purpose—along with his extraordinary participation in the gastronomic competition The Final Table, produced by Netflix—have been widely recognized by the international press and global organizations.
Rodrigo is more than a professional chef; he is a specialist in sustainable hospitality as well as a promoter of culture and biodiversity who bases his culinary art on restoring and connecting ecosystems, wisdom, and flavors. One of his main life goals is to create the largest natural, cultural, and community corridor on the planet.
Events Featuring Chef Rodrigo Pacheco
Global Table Tasting
Join Yale Global Table for a talk and tasting at The Well with acclaimed Chef Rodrigo Pacheco as he explores cuisine as a tool for sustainability, cultural preservation, and connection. Pacheco bases his culinary art on restoring and connecting ecosystems, wisdom, and flavors.
Monday, April 13, 2026
6 pm–7:30 pm at The Well, Yale Schwarzman Center
168 Grove Street, New Haven, CT 06511
Ecology of Taste
This public talk with Nico Hernandez and Tassos Kyriakides offers a journey through the food systems of the past, present, and future, redefining our role in environmental transformation through a vision grounded in sustainable gastronomy and Indigenous wisdom, and calling on all of us to take action.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
4 pm–5:30 pm at Rosenfeld Hall, Room 101
109 Grove Street, New Haven, CT, 06510
Chef-In-Residence Program
Our growing cohort of Fellows lies at the heart of the Global Table program. Each semester, we welcome a leading culinary innovator to campus. During their residency, Fellows train dining staff, engage with students and researchers, and share remarks followed by a reception featuring a menu inspired by their work.
Fellows are selected for their demonstrated commitment to environmental and social good, their reputation for culinary innovation, and the regional contexts in which they live and work. While on campus, the academic components of each visit are supported by one of MacMillan’s seven regional councils, providing Fellows with meaningful opportunities to connect with faculty and students who share deep expertise and interest in their region.
