Food With Purpose Change Maker: Chef Giovanni Ricci & the Plant-Forward Revolution

Being a Change Maker is nothing new to Chef Gio, whose curious nature and love of flavor drives him to innovate every day. He’s at the epicenter of Eurest’s plant-forward pilot, testing new innovations, recipes and learning what drives guest choice.

For the past six months, Gio has been piloting a plant-forward initiative in partnership with client Citizens Bank to trial new plant-based proteins on his menus. The pilot’s goal is to better understand what motivates people to choose plant-based meals, and the results are helping influence Eurest menus for marketplaces nationwide.

In spring 2024, Gio was involved with helping Eurest launch a partnership with The Plant-It Food Co. to introduce a new chicken plant-based alternative, as the companies commenced the partnership alongside Citizens in Johnston, R.I. with a tree planting and restoration project in the community.

“You’ve seen it in all generations, the change and interest in plant-forward. People are more health conscious and not interested in a heavy meal that makes them tired,” explains Chef Gio. “Once you try something and get that burst of energy, it’s something you look forward to and that’s what we try to build on.”

Understanding what people are looking for is innate to Gio. So much so that he is even known to check out what other people are shopping for when he’s at the grocery store. “I always like to look in people’s carts, see what they’re making. When I see broccoli rabe, beets – I’ll ask, what are you making tonight, big plans for that rabe?” he laughs. “I can’t help but be curious.”

In fact, Gio could run a masterclass on presenting familiar vegetables in an entirely new way.

“As preferences shift, it’s really about making the meat, or the protein, as the condiment and having the vegetables be the star of the dish,” explains Gio. “You can do so much with a vegetable— searing, roasting, grilling, sous vide, peeling, pureeing into a sauce—to enhance the flavors and turn it into something new.”

Not only are his dishes delicious, but they also have an added benefit of lowering your carbon footprint. Gio always asks himself and his team, “Are we using all that we can? Can that cauliflower stem be riced, that extra asparagus would make a great pesto.”

As we celebrate our August 2024 Food with Purpose Change Maker, we asked him to reflect on what that means to him.

“Nothing beats giving someone something they wouldn’t normally eat and then they order it the next time, it inspires me,” shares Gio.