El Nino climate patterns force global chefs to rewrite menus

The record-breaking El Nino climate phenomenon is forcing world-class chefs to frequently rewrite menus due to unpredictable ingredient availability, rising prices, and disrupted supply chains caused by droughts, floods, and heatwaves.

At the Apapaxoa gastronomic festival in Mexico, culinary leaders shared how extreme weather is reshaping high-end dining. In Brazil, chef Alex Atala of D.O.M. reported having to adjust his annual menu almost weekly. He noted that certain traditional ingredients, such as ants from the Amazon, have become difficult to source, and that flooded roads or wildfires often delay deliveries until products are no longer fresh.

Other chefs are turning to inventive substitutes to combat shortages. In Copenhagen, Rasmus Munk of Alchemist is experimenting with cocoa-free chocolate alternatives made from beer byproducts. In Colombia, Alvaro Clavijo of El Chato reported shortages of Andean tubers and cocoa pulp, compounded by municipal water rationing. In the Mediterranean, extreme weather has also impacted essential crops like rice, citrus, and vineyards.