Cooking Up Sustainability👨‍🍳- Inside the Wild Herbs Mobility in Foggia, Italy

From June 26th to 30th, Foggia, Italy, hosted the latest Erasmus+ Wild Herbs mobility. Organized by Igor Vitale International, the mobility brought EUth Wonders together with our partners from Italy, Greece, and Cyprus to revive traditional knowledge, test new educational resources, and see how wild herbs can shake up sustainable hospitality and modern cooking.

We spent the week putting sustainability into practice through workshops, feedback sessions, and hands-on kitchen trials.

From Concept to Kitchen: Testing the Future of Green Gastronomy

The main goal of the week was to stress-test the project’s new training modules. Our partners took to the classroom to pilot the coursework, using group discussions to fine-tune the materials before their official release. The sessions tackled the real-world demands of modern hospitality, focusing on:

• Bringing strict environmental sustainability into everyday restaurant setups.

•​Leveling up plant-based cooking techniques.

•​Sourcing ingredients responsibly and cutting down on food waste.

•​Using local biodiversity to build more innovative menus.

By pairing theory with honest peer reviews, we made sure the final educational tools will be genuinely useful for busy chefs and restaurant owners across Europe.

The Magic of the Murge: A Visit with Chef Peppe Zullo

​The clear standout of the week was a field trip to meet Italian chef Peppe Zullo. Widely known for his farm-to-table approach, Chef Zullo gave our group a masterclass in blending regional traditions with modern dining trends.

​Walking through the local landscape, we got a firsthand look at how wild herbs, often dismissed as weeds, can become standout features on a high-end menu.

The visit wrapped up with practical cooking sessions focused on seasonal ingredients and low-impact techniques, showing that sustainable food doesn't mean sacrificing flavor.

​"Traditional knowledge and local biodiversity aren't just things of the past—they are the exact tools we need to inspire the next generation of plant-based cuisine."

Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter for Wild Herbs

​As the week wound down, the momentum didn't slow. We focused on next steps, setting the stage for the project's upcoming phases. With the Foggia meeting wrapped, the immediate priorities include:

•Translating the training guides into multiple languages.

•​Rolling out local pilot programs to test these concepts in each home country.

•​Building a digital course and creating video case studies to reach a broader audience.

•​Sharing the project's findings at upcoming European hospitality events.

Ultimately, the Foggia gathering proved that collaboration is the best way to drive educational change. By looking to traditional practices and rethinking current menus, the Wild Herbs project is giving European restaurants a practical, flavorful roadmap toward real sustainability.