TIME has named Chef Selassie Atadika to its prestigious 2025 Earth Awards, recognizing six individuals worldwide whose work is redefining the future of our planet through sustainability, climate justice, and innovation.
Other honorees this year include climate philanthropist Michael Bloomberg. Past Earth Award recipients have included U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and Indigenous Amazonian leader Nemonte Nenquimo and other global leaders working to restore balance between people and planet.
Chef Atadika is the first Ghanaian to receive the honor, recognized for her visionary work at the intersection of African foodways, sustainability, and food systems change. As the Founder of Midunu and a former humanitarian with the United Nations, she brings a systems-level approach to climate resilience—grounded in culinary heritage and driven by a bold reimagination of what the future of food can be.
Africa’s culinary knowledge holds the blueprint for a more sustainable future,” said Atadika. “Our food systems—plant-forward, seasonal, and resourceful—are rooted in biodiversity, culture, and care. This honor is not just personal; it’s a recognition of Africa’s global leadership in building a just, delicious, and climate-resilient food future.”
Selassie Atadika is a La Liste New Destination Champion, a MacMillan Fellow at Yale University, and has been ranked among the Top 100 Chefs in the World by The Best Chef Awards. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, BBC, and The Financial Times.
At Midunu, she leads a culinary movement that integrates delicious, climate-smart, and unmistakably African ingredients with indigenous knowledge through storytelling and sensory experience—most notably through Midunu’s acclaimed nomadic dinners and handcrafted chocolate collections.
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