In today’s fast-moving food and beverage space, staying connected to the creators — the chefs, bartenders, bakers, and brewers — is more essential than ever. That’s exactly what sparked the partnership between Symrise and StarChefs a decade ago.

In 2015, Symrise forged a partnership with StarChefs after Emmanuel Laroche, Vice President of Marketing at Symrise North America, attended several of the organization’s International Chef Congresses in New York City. The goal was clear: stay ahead of the curve on emerging culinary trends and ingredients embraced by chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, bakers, coffee roasters, and craft brewers.

“As a flavor company, we wanted to be right where new ideas are born,” Emmanuel says. “Working alongside StarChefs and their Rising Stars gave us a direct line to the next wave of culinary creativity.”

The collaboration quickly took shape through “tasting treks” — immersive, city-by-city culinary explorations with StarChefs’ Rising Stars — along with intimate panel discussions featuring standout talents for deeper conversations around flavor innovation, regional identity, and ingredient storytelling.

Ten years later, this partnership has touched over a dozen cities and countless culinary voices — each moment offering insight, inspiration, and a taste of what’s next.

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