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Saulo Jennings, a Brazilian chef and restaurateur, left his role curating the Earthshot Prize banquet in Rio de Janeiro after being asked to prepare an entirely vegan menu.
The Earthshot Prize was founded in 2020 by the UK’s Prince William and iconic natural historian Sir David Attenborough. It is a global award that celebrates innovative contributions towards environmentalism. The banquet typically involves an all-vegan or vegetarian menu as a reflection of Earthshot’s commitment to sustainability and the planet.
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According to The New York Times, Jennings said asking him to prepare a meat-free menu was like ”asking Iron Maiden to play jazz.” He added that requesting vegan dishes also demonstrated a “lack of respect” for Brazil’s culinary tradition.
The New York Times reported that after “coaxing” by the Museum of Tomorrow, which hosted the banquet, Jennings did design a vegan menu based on staples like cassava root, jambu leaf, and Brazil nuts, but for a price beyond Earthshot’s allocated budget for the event, which seats 700 guests.
“I have nothing against vegans or British people,” said Jennings. “But I don’t want to abandon my culinary mission.” La Nación reported that Jennings also said, “I’m worried that the vegan community thinks I criticize it. It’s not. I only defend my roots.”
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‘We don’t put a plate of food on the table, we put a way of life’
Award-winning chef Tati Lund, the owner of .Org Bistrô, an all-vegan restaurant in Rio de Janeiro’s Barra da Tijuca, was reportedly hired to take Jennings’s place and cater the event. However, Lund later told Plant Based News (PBN) that she did not cater the banquet itself, and was actually hired to prepare a special meal for VIPs from Earthshot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s charity Re:wild ahead of the prize ceremony.
Lund prioritizes local, organic, and seasonal ingredients for her restaurant in order to “connect you with nature.” She told PBN that the meal she prepared for Earthshot and Re:wild was “inspired in our forests and oceans.” The ingredients were all vegan, organic, and primarily sourced from small Rio growers and producers.
Speaking to The Matador Network in 2021, Lund said, “We don’t put a plate of food on the table, we put a way of life.” She opened .Org Bistrô more than a decade ago, and according to data from Brazil’s Vegetarian Society, approximately 14 percent of people nationwide now consider themselves vegetarian or vegan.
The 2025 Earthshot Prize ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 5, and each winner received £1 million to advance their work. People can watch the awards on streaming services such as Multishow, Globoplay, and BBC iPlayer.
This article was updated on November 13, 2025, to reflect information sent to PBN by .Org Bistrô founder Tati Lund. Lund did not cater the Earthshot banquet, as previously reported. In fact, she prepared a special menu for VIP guests from Earthshot and Re:wild before the prize ceremony.
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