Cucina Alchimia transforms invasive crayfish into a scalable biorefinery concept through cuisine, design, and research.

IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM, EAT THEM turns an ecological threat into a circular concept for the future. Using its restaurant as a biorefinery, Cucina Alchimia’s project demonstrates how invasive signal crayfish and marbled crayfish can be sustainably utilized as food or raw materials. Visitors experience the synergistic effects of the process – from culinary arts and garum production to the material innovation chitosan and the science chatbot KryptoChef. Events such as a science brunch, workshops, and an exhibition of applied material experiments round out the program and present Cucina Alchimia as a platform for culinary arts, science, art, and design.

The project brings together expertise from science, regional practice, and design. Project partners include the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (Christine Bertl), the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (Armin Winter), and Kitocoat, a spin-off from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (founder Michael Neumann will be on site). The network is complemented by Thomas Koller, chairman of the Rohrbach Fishing District.

There will be a display of forward-looking research results from the master’s programs at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna as well as circular material innovations and exhibits by participating designers.

Science Brunch: Sun 27.9., 11.30am–2pm

The interactive Science Brunch combines sustainable gastronomy with applied materials research and circular food design. Together with Christine Bertl (FH Technikum Wien), Armin Winter (BOKU Vienna), as well as Michael Moser and Sendi Gbinia (Cucina Alchimia), circular concepts for the future will be discussed directly at the open table. The central focus is the cascaded utilization of the invasive signal crayfish, ranging from culinary applications and garum fermentation to bio-based materials designed to combat food waste. On-site research partners will show how research, food, and design interlock. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste and test circular material innovations firsthand and actively participate in the discussion.

Registration at https://shorturl.at/6oLCf