MEET THE TEAM

Dr. Francesca Zampollo is a Food Design researcher, consultant, teacher, and keen public speaker. Francesca has a PhD in Design Theory applied to Food Design, and she is the founder of the Online School of Food Design©. Francesca has spent the last eight years developing the Food Design Thinking methodology, as a food-specific branch of Design Thinking. She is the founding editor of the International Journal of Food Design, the first and only academic publication for this discipline. She is the founder of the International Food Design Society, and has organised the first, second, and third International Conference on Food Design. Francesca has taught Food Design and Design Theory at London Metropolitan University, Auckland University of Technology, and now at her Online School of Food Design.

Jashan Sippy is a green building architect and founder of Sugar and Space, a creative agency based between Mumbai and San Francisco. His architectural research, Gastronomy & Architecture: Multisensory Experiences formed the basis of his unconventional practice. His work ranges from designing spaces of food and creating food installations including signature 'Al Dente Walls' made of upcycled pasta, conceptualizing and hosting a variety of engaging eating experiences across the globe, and transforming food waste into 3D printed food. Jashan pursued an M.Sc. in International Business in the US, specializing in entrepreneurship. He lectures at universities of design, hospitality, entrepreneurship and anthropology globally. Certified by the European Bartender School and Kiev International Culinary Academy, Jashan has been the food and space correspondent for the Dutch Institute of Food and Design.

Ellen is one of those talented and restless people who have done a little bit of everything and are always reinventing themselves: from a flight attendant in Dubai to a gastronomy teacher and Academic Director at Le Cordon Bleu Rio de Janeiro, she has gone through several cuisines of recognized restaurants and also through the classrooms with a bachelor's degree in Architecture, a master's degree and currently a doctorate in Food Design. She brings together all this experience and learning in her kitchen, with a lot of love for the processes, ingredients and producers, always seeking to provide unique experiences.

Juan Sebastián is a Chemical Engineer and Food Designer from Bogotá, Colombia. He is passionate on impacting people and the planet through product and process innovation with a Design for Social Justice approach. He is the Co-Founder at Koji es Transformación, a Food Design Lab that created Koji Burger, his flagship project and what got him into the world of Food Design. Juan has lead our Ambassador Program, a commission based internship which seeks to build relationships around Food Design in the offline and online world through education.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Nour is a product design graduate from l’Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts. Right upon graduating, she was accepted in a food design mentorship offered by the Goethe institute in collaboration with Namliyeh that took place in Jordan for a duration of 5 months. Currently, she is going to pursue her Master’s degree in France, hoping to expand her knowledge in several fields of design. She considers herself as a Multidisciplinary and ever evolving designer, always adapting to her environment and the culture she encounters. Her goal is to always create exceptional experiences and to spark a sense of belonging with and for the people. Food, was a medium where she was able to achieve that. Food design for her is an exploration of our current food systems, our food choices, and the connections we create between the people, plants, and places.

Esha’s soul is in food and mind in design. She is a food designer. With a background in International Culinary Arts, she became a pastry chef. She then explored her interest in design & creativity by doing Masters in Design Management. This led to her connecting dots between both sets of her knowledge and skills, and she realised, that food is not only a medium for design, but also, in fact, food is the pathway for designing sustainable futures. Currently, she works Subject Matter Expert - Food Design, at Centre for Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Young Aspirants (CRIEYA), MIT ADTU. She is also the Ambassador of Synergies in India for the Online School of Food Design. She enjoys actively learning, exploring and talking about the parallels between food and design through research, interactions, observations and experiences!

Paula Cavalcanti is a teacher, designer, filmmaker and, above all, a food lover. She is currently working as a food designer for local food brands, while also ongoing a post graduation course in Brand Management for food brands. Her background in both cinema and design schools have set the perfect scenario for her to take on a career as a communicator and researcher of the imagery of food. In November 2022, she was a guest speaker at the biggest annual coffee event in Brazil, and spoke about design for coffee brands. When she is not working, she is developing her skills in food photography, watching food films, cooking, baking, writing and reading about food.