Chef Mehdi Labed

Born in Belgium in 1997, I stayed there until I was 21. I studied in Brussels and then moved to Canada for my Master's degree. After falling in love with the country and staying for four years, I decided to return to Europe in December 2022. I needed to take some time to step back, reflect and above all, listen to myself and redefine what the concepts of career and normality meant to me. Therefore I headed off to Paris, to Le Cordon Bleu, to learn the basics of cooking and plunge myself into the very heart of what makes me feel good: working with the product. A real revelation, this period of my life was one of enormous professional and personal growth. Following this reorientation, I left for Spain, where I was inspired and trained in plant-based patisserie by plant-based chef Toni Rodriguez (Barcelona). This experience proved to me, once again, the infinite possibilities of a plant-based cuisine, aligned with my values and aspirations. I then moved to the Netherlands and worked at Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel (**), which taught me a lot in terms of fermentation and R&D. Having always had a fascination for Nordic countries, I packed my bags again and moved to Helsinki (Finland), to work for a few months at Grön (*) and immerse myself in a cuisine based around wild gathering. ​Always keen on new experiences, I continued to pursue my dreams and take paths, too unconventional for most, moving to Yssingeaux (France), to the École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (Ducasse School), to train in chocolate making, a field that has always fascinated me for its precision and science. This path led me to complete two internships, one at the Louis Vuitton chocolate factory (Louis Vuitton by Maxime Frédéric, Paris), and the second at Astral chocolat (Lille, France). ​Very interested in the science of food and R&D, I started training with an online course from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I'm currently pursuing a new professional certificate in the field. I also completed a short internship in Rotterdam in 2025 at Choro Koji Fermentation, a company specialising in the production of miso, soy sauce, and sake.