Gastronomic gold can be found in all sorts of unexpected places: ingredients, techniques, environments and even people. In Las Vegas in June, some of the world’s top hospitality figures will share their thoughts at #50BestTalks: Treasure Hunt
On Tuesday 4 June, the world’s leading chefs and gastronomic pioneers will meet at Wynn Las Vegas to embark on a culinary quest to explore the #50BestTalks theme of Treasure Hunt.
New York chef sensation Kwame Onwuachi, Champions of Change winner Jessica Rosval and radical restaurateur Billy Wagner are part of a stellar line-up exchanging hidden gems of knowledge and treating the audience to some surprising bites.
With further insights and samples from Malena Martínez of research body Mater Iniciativa, plant-based pioneer Daniel Humm and Josh Niland, aka ‘the fish butcher’, it will be a treasure hunt for all the senses.
The quest for culinary gold can take many forms: whether that’s transforming humble plant-based ingredients; uncovering and documenting ancient cooking techniques; supporting and enabling marginalised people to flourish in hospitality; fully utilising rare treasures from the ocean; releasing people’s hidden potential or drawing culinary inspiration from unexpected sources.
Since 2014, #50BestTalks has seen countless chefs, restaurateurs and sommeliers take to the stage to dig into the hottest topics in gastronomy in a dynamic way. Now learn more about this year’s speakers:
Josh Niland, Saint Peter, Sydney 
Known as ‘the fish butcher’, Josh Niland is one of Sydney’s most renowned seafood chefs. With a gill-to-fin approach, he utilises as much of the fish as possible, from eyes to organs, bones to scales – and everything in between. Apparently, the only thing Niland hasn’t found a use for yet is the gall bladder. He has many motivations for using an average of 90% of the fish, including respect for the produce, reducing waste and of course, pure economics.
Niland’s interest in food started while he was recovering from childhood cancer. He worked in local cafés and restaurants in Maitland, north of Sydney, before spending time at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. These days you’ll find him at Saint Peter, which opened in 2016, although the restaurant is about to move to a bigger space in the new Grand National Hotel. Niland also owns the Fish Butchery in Waterloo, Sydney and recently opened Fysh in Singapore.
Caroline Caporossi and Jessica Rosval, Roots, Modena
The 2024 Champions of Change winners are an impressively formidable duo. Caporossi and Rosval set up Roots, a social enterprise restaurant with a paid culinary training programme for migrant women who are passionate about food.
The pair first launched the Association for the Integration of Women (AIW) in 2020 to provide resources for women to put down roots and flourish. The project trains 12 people a year in a four-month cycle. In 2022, Maria Assunta Ioele joined Caporossi and Rosval to open Roots: co-working space by day, restaurant by night. The seasonal menu features dishes blending the cultures and diverse backgrounds of the women in the kitchen. The overall goal of the establishment is to eliminate prejudice in Modena and beyond, while helping those working there to rewrite their own stories.
Billy Wagner and Micha Schäfer, Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin
Sommelier and restaurateur Billy Wagner has worked all over Germany, including stints at Vintage am Rhein in Cologne and the Monkey's Plaza in Düsseldorf. In 2008 he moved to Berlin to work at Weinbar Rutz before opening Nobelhart & Schmutzig in 2015. The acclaimed restaurant acts as a showcase for local German produce from the city and surrounding areas.
Head chef Micha Schäfer found his love for cooking while working at the Tandreas hotel in Gießen. He later had a call from Wagner to join him at Nobelhart & Schmutzig, and the pair have been raking in the accolades ever since.
Wagner is keen to reshape and reframe kitchen culture to be more inclusive and less hierarchical: happy people make happy food make happy guests. This includes the small – yet important – step of redefining the ‘head chef’ position as ‘creative culinary director’ and releasing a Guide of Conduct against bad working conditions, sexual harassment and discrimination.
Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, New York
Consistently named as one of the world’s best chefs and the recipient of countless awards – including having his restaurant ranked No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, earning a spot in the Best of the Best group – Daniel Humm is the chef-owner of Eleven Madison Park (EMP). During the pandemic, Humm transformed EMP into a commissary kitchen, providing more than one million meals for frontline workers and underserved communities. When the restaurant reopened in 2021 with an entirely plant-based menu – switching from beef to beetroot – it caused shockwaves throughout the food industry. EMP became the first plant-based restaurant to receive a three-Michelin star rating in October 2022.
Humm and his team created a new plant-based pantry and re-evaluated the entire food hierarchy, asking the question: why are beef, caviar and lobster considered to be the most luxurious ingredients on fine dining menus, rather than carrots, onions and artichokes?
Malena Martínez, Mater Iniciativa, Cusco 
Mater Iniciativa is the non-profit research arm of Central in Lima, No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, co-founded and spearheaded by Malena Martínez. The mission of the centre is to promote megadiversity without borders, researching and documenting ingredients and techniques which local communities have used for hundreds of years.
Martínez initially pursued a medical career, but then pivoted to nutrition. At the same time, her brother Virgilio knew his restaurant needed to delve into Peru’s native ingredients in considerably more detail in order to thrive. Mater Iniciativa launched in 2013 and has been working in conjunction with Central ever since.
Kwame Onwuachi, Tatiana, New York 
Kwame Onwuachi is one of the most exciting chefs in the US – and it’s been quite a journey. As detailed in his book, Notes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi talks about growing up in the Bronx, dealing drugs, selling chocolate on the subway to help pay for a catering business, training at the Culinary Institute of America and appearing on Top Chef. He's worked at Eleven Madison Park and Per Se and oversaw the critically acclaimed Kith/Kin in Washington DC. In 2023, Onwuachi’s restaurant, Tatiana in New York, won the Resy One To Watch Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants within six months of opening.
Bringing bodega culture to the Lincoln Center, Tatiana’s menu is inspired by the food of Onwuachi’s New York upbringing, his father’s Nigerian heritage and his mother’s Southern US roots.
#50BestTalks will be held at Wynn Las Vegas on Tuesday 4 June from 11:30-14.00. Follow 50 Best’s social channels for highlights from the event.
The list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be announced on Wednesday 5 June from Las Vegas. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, and sign up to our newsletter.
