The Philanthropist's Conversation

Switzerland is a country of Alpine pastures and ancient cheesemaking traditions; of terraced vineyards; of markets where saffron from the canton of Valais sits alongside wine from the shores of Lac Léman. It is a place where food has been expressed differently in every region. And yet Switzerland is also one of the European food systems most brimming with innovation. Closely aligned with the EU playbook, and in many places going further, Switzerland has built something rare: a food culture that holds tradition and progress in the same hand, without compromising on either.

So in our season finale, we come to Geneva to ask the question that has been building all series: what does it actually look like when the system works? What is a philosophy of practice that we can take away from these four episodes and bring into our own lives? Into the kitchens, the markets, the daily choices we share with our communities?

To find that answer, we spend a day in the Swiss countryside. We start over breakfast in Geneva, with a spread of local cheeses and a history lesson hiding inside each one, before heading for the train, and setting off on foot through the Lavaux vineyard terraces. We’ll talk about what it would take to reform the food system, and whether governance alone can get us there. In the late afternoon, we find ourselves in a lakeside wine cellar, drinking Chasselas and eating freshly fried Malakoffs, discovering the philosophy of Julian Baggini and his five principles for a future-proof food system. And we end the day in Rowan’s lively kitchen, where the chef runs our brigade one last time, to cook a rich Swiss inspired meal.

So join us in Geneva for the season finale of The Philanthropist's Conversation. Learn how to cook, share, and own the next level of food resilience. And to find out what awaits our characters long after this series ends.

Welcome to Switzerland. Let's embrace the future of food together.

Highlights:

• Why our food journey led us to Switzerland (0:10)
• Breakfast on a Genevan terrace (2:24)
• Tasting traditional Swiss cheese (04:46)
• Uncovering the roots of Switzerland’s food heritage (9:09)
• Rethinking innovation: away from technology, back to conservation (13:06)
• Food policy, institutions, and culinary standards: Europe vs the US (16:20)
• Train views on the Lavaux Vineyards (21:52)
• How different EU countries navigate innovation (23:30)
• Exploring the Lavaux Terraces (27:11)
• A reality check on the failures of the current industrial food system (28:18)
• the AOP case study: Food labeling for cultural value (34:36)
• How technology can be used for regenerative farming (37:10)
• De-risking investment: how China does it with digital aquaculture (39:35)
• “ Gather better information, make better decisions” - technology to connect the dots (41:04)
• Tasting traditional Malakoffs in a wine cellar (44:40)
• Can the joy of eating be a tool for change? (47:41)
• Where does change start? Food movements and limits in reach (49:58)
• Five principles for food resilience: pluralism, circularity, humanity, equitability and resourcefulness (52:19)
• A Swiss dinner menu with Chef Rohan (59:29)
• Final round of conclusions at the dinner table (01:05:09)
• Series takeaways (01:10:00)
• Bidding our characters goodbye (01:17:01)

Further Resources:

• Pegasus Website
• Articles and research sources

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. For more any enquiries, you can write to us at: [email protected]

Istanbul is a city of layers. Ancient minarets rise above hip coffee shops; winding market streets give way to rooftop terraces and buzzing night life. In a city where Ottoman food ways meet contemporary dining culture exist side by side - what can we learn about food resilience that we don’t already know? What does it mean to bridge the gap between the ancient and the modern? Between the East and the West?

In this episode, Jay, Garth, and their team of food experts explore Istanbul, tasting their way through a city that sits at the crossroads of civilisations.

Between a vibrant fish market, a backyard grill, and a traditional tea garden, the group discovers a city where fresh produce and communal dining have survived globalisation and now shape the future of food. They trace the Ottoman roots of meze culture, debate the limits of the "Mediterranean diet" as a label, and reflect on how Turkey's adaptive food identity can hold a mirror up to food cultures in the West.

This episode also takes a wider look at how food content has been transformed in the digital age. From longevity experts to epicurean influencers, the group maps out the new landscape of food media, and asks what it really takes to inspire people to eat better. The conversation also returns to something essential: that the best food system starts not with policy, but with pleasure.

If you've ever wondered what the world would look like if food culture had never stopped mattering, and what the rest of us might learn from that, this is your place to start.

Highlights:

• Welcome to Istanbul: first impressions from the terrace (0:10)
• The Ottoman tradition of sharing and snacking (3:53)
• Rethinking the "Mediterranean diet" label (8:51)
• The history of Turkish cuisine: Byzantines, Ottomans, and beyond (12:51)
• Shopping like a local at the fish market (15:28)
• “The sea in the middle of the land”: understanding mediterranean geography (19:25)
• Istanbul as a bridge between East and West (29:51)
• Social media and a new era for food education (35:17)
• Three types of food influencer: the fitness aesthetic, the biohacker, and the epicurean (37:01)
• How to grill a whole sea bass (44:59)
• Diet, mental health, and physical activity are three pillars for health to emerge (50:19)
• What your first 1,000 days have to do with your sugar habits (1:00:41)
• Personalised nutrition: does it have to be expensive? (1:01:48)
• Drawing conclusions over dessert at a chai bahçesi (59:08)
• Reconnect, integrate, be resilient (1:09:36)
• Next time on the Philanthropist’s Conversation: where individual power ends and systemic change begins (1:11:21)

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. For more any enquiries, you can write to us at: [email protected]

In Hanoi, food is everywhere. It’s fragrant herbs and tropical produce spilling out of market stalls, the scent of charcoal meat on a busy street, or a steamy bowl of phó grabbed on the go at breakfast time.

So what can Vietnam teach us about food resilience? And can it offer a meaningful contrast to the industrialised food landscape many of us navigate in the West today? In the second episode of our new series, Jay and Garth set out to find answers alongside their crew of food experts, Rohan, Zane, and Mateo.

This episode will make you discover the bold flavours of Vietnam and South Asia dish by dish -- from homemade spring rolls known as gỏi cuốn, to a smoky meatball dish (bún chả), and of course, the inimitable phở. Between the busy urban life of Hanoi, and an active kitchen, our group uncover the leading principle of Asian cooking: balance. Here, food is more than sustenance; it is a cosmological art de vivre that can be sustained over time, connecting body, mind, and environment.

Rather than focusing on policy or supply chains, this episode interrogates food resilience on a personal level. How does food reconnect us with our bodies? What does it really mean to eat well, and feel like it too? And how might those answers guide the next changes we make in our own kitchens and communities? Through shared meals and simmering broths, the group returns to the essence of eating well, rediscovering the pleasure of cooking and enjoying fresh food, day after day.

This episode reveals how Vietnam’s food culture acts as both teacher and mirror, reminding us that resilience doesn’t just live in institutions or systems, but in the very act of cooking too.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to eat in harmony and what Western food cultures can learn from Eastern traditions, this episode is a great place to begin.

Highlights:

• Welcome to the streets of Hanoi (1:02)
• A picture of the food landscape in Vietnam (3:39)
• The marketplace: a space for social connection (7:54)
• In the kitchen making gỏi cuốn and bún chả (13:16)
• The links between Asia and the Global North (17:57)
• Defining “glocalisation” in Asia (24:13)
• A dive into the history of the Silk Road (28:35)
• Food and health: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and a “cosmology of flavour” (31:07)
• Spirituality, philosophy, and food habits (34:18)
• Reconciling proactive and reactive healthcare systems (38:19)
• A new global food education movement (43:15)
• Making vietnamese coffee (49:53)
• Democratising cooking through social media, YouTube… And the Covid-19 pandemic (52:08)
• “Resilience means paying attention to our system and to our bodies” (57:15)
• Final roundtable: drawing conclusions around a rich bowl of phó (59:14)
• Cooking means getting your agency back (01:01:40)

Further Resources:

• Pegasus Website
• Learning about regional cuisine in Vietnam from the Michelin Guide
• Further (accessible) research on traditional health Practices in India and China
• Exploring food education through the YouTube cooking universe
• Articles and research sources

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. For more any enquiries, you can write to us at: [email protected]

To kick off Season 2 of the Philanthropist’s Conversation, our hosts Jay and Garth take us to New Orleans, a city shaped by migration, music, and some of the richest food traditions in the United States.

So yes, our journey starts with a rich gumbo and freshly made beignets, but it also uncovers a harder truth: America’s food system has drifted far from the ancestral wisdom that once shaped its kitchens.

In this episode, Jay, Garth, and their lead guests explore the roots of that drift: What happened to everyday cooking in America? How did ultra-processed foods become the norm? Why is eating well so difficult today? And what can we learn from a city that sits in the roots of its cultural upheaval, yet still cooks to keep the memory alive?

Through supermarket aisles, street corners, and the very heart of a New Orleans kitchen, we break through the amnesia created by convenience and industrialisation.

Along the way, we get to know this season’s cast too. Jay will connect the dots between culture, and identity; our astute journalist Mateo will unpack the deeper social history behind American eating habits; Garth, the food system expert, will break down how food chains work today, and why it’s hard to undo them; Rohan, the chef, will give us a taste for the real flavour of Creole and Cajun cuisine; and Zane, the nutritionist, will decode our pantry staples, show us what we’ve lost, and what we can reclaim.

If you’ve ever wondered why modern eating feels so chaotic, and how to find your way back to real food; this is where our journey begins.

Highlights:

• Settling in New Orleans (4:24)
• A food resilience itinerary (9:45)
• Creole food: history, culture & disconnect (14:09)
• How to make a good gumbo (18:47)
• A deep dive into Ultra Processed Foods (24:07)
• Food Industrialisation: a “chicken or the egg” question (30:20)
• Perfecting the roux - a taste for food tradition (33:22)
• A lesson in food marketing at Winn Dixie (36:12)
• Making a case for a new kind of food literacy (40:23)
• Switching off the "autopilot" mode (47:03)
• Beignets, tea, and the health question (55:04)
• “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (58:08)
• A walk through the French Quarters (1:01:42)
• Drawing conclusions: food resilience is systemic and personal (1:06:01)

Further Resources:

• Pegasus Website
• On the History of Cajun and Creole Cuisine (Music Break #1)
• How to Make a Perfect Gumbo (Music Break #2)
• How to Read a Food Label (Music Break #3)
• On “Food Rules” with Michael Pollan (Music Break #4)
• Further articles and research sources

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. To learn more or get in touch, find us at our website.

The Philanthropist’s Conversation returns for Season 2, ready to take you on a new journey, through food and culture, towards a more resilient world.

This season, our co-hosts are two life long lovers of food: Jay Brooks and Garth Pritchard. As Pegasus’s champions of food resilience, they’re on a mission to answer a deceptively simple question:

What does it mean to eat well in a world that’s forgotten how?

They map out today’s food landscape to find the answers; from the streets of New Orleans to the rolling hills of the Swiss Alps, with stops in Vietnam, Turkey, and beyond. Along the way, we uncover ancient foodways, and imagine what the future of food could be if we choose to rebuild it now.

Joining them on this journey are three food aficionados who speak to every kind of listener: Rohan Kashyap, a self-taught Michelin-starred chef blurring the lines between high-end and everyday cuisine; Mateo Flores, a journalist and cultural commentator, with a foot in media outlets across the world, and cutting edge takes on the current food landscape; and Zane Carver, the food-and-fitness entrepreneur, who will talk longevity and show us how what we cook shapes how we live. Together, their voices will get straight to the heart of the food resilience conversation.

Take a seat around the table, to start new conversations and build a bigger picture of resilience. One where food isn’t just about what we eat, but what sustains us.

Links:

• Pegasus Website
• The Philanthropist’s Conversation - Season 1

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a fictional podcast from Pegasus. For any enquiries, you can find us at our website.

In the shimmering heat of the Gulf region, a new kind of city is taking shape. One where ancient architectural wisdom meets cutting-edge technology—and where people live well with extreme heat.

In this final episode of The Philanthropist’s Conversation, our host Paula lands in Abu Dhabi to ask a powerful question: What does urban life look like, in a world where temperatures frequently reach 40*C?

Joined by senior government advisor Hamdan Al Suwaidi, Paula tours Abu Dhabi’s historic landmarks like Qasr Al Hosn or the Grand Mosque to learn about the city’s centuries-old relationship with heat. They also spotlight the United Arab Emirates’ most innovative design initiatives, with a visit of the ultra-modern Masdar City – a large-scale urban project that put the UAE on the map when it comes to sustainability.

Along the way, you’ll hear an exclusive interview with Gerard Evenden, a senior partner at Foster + Partners who helped designed Masdar. And we’ll explore the UAE’s sustainability agenda, which is moving away from oil wealth, and towards ecological stewardship.

So what can an experimental desert city teach the world about adaptation? And what conclusions should we draw from this series, to turn individual projects into engines for systemic change?

Find out today on The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat.

Highlights:

1. Welcome to Abu Dhabi (00:59)
2. Meeting Hamdan Al Suwaidi in the Mandarin Oriental Lounge (03:05)
3. An Historic Approach to Heat in Central Abu Dhabi (07:29)
4. Islamic Futurism at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (16:02)
5. Masdar City: A Case Study in Heat Resilient Design, with Gerard Evenden (26:33)
6. Introducing Ivan Peter and Pegasus’s Ambitious Vision (37:31)
7. Insights & Legacy: A Walking Tour of Masdar City (39:16)
8. Reflecting on Abu Dhabi’s Approach to Extreme Heat (51:28)
9. Conclusions on Urban Heat and Applications for the Future (58:32)
10. A Glimpse into Season 2: Spotlight on Food Resilience (01:04:48)

Links:

1. Episode Resources
2. Gerard Evenden LinkedIn

New York is a place where private money has left a trail. From the high rise towers of Midtown, to large urban regeneration projects like the High Line, philanthropy is the reason New York rose up through the bad times and the good.

So in this episode of the Philanthropist’s Conversation, our host Paula takes a deep dive into the world of philanthropic innovation, and asks a burning question: how can the private sector advance heat resilience?

Paula meets with locals who can answer that question, and walk her through the history of New York’s iconic skyline. Along the way, we discuss the transformative impact of Michael Bloomberg’s policies and learn about the role of the Rockefeller Foundation in establishing Chief Heat Officers. Through real examples of grassroot initiatives and private-public partnerships, we break down how private investors and public authorities can come together to form a whole new system.

So what does New York’s approach teach us about the power dynamics of heat resilience? How does philanthropy turn ideas into action? And what happens when the private sector sees heat not just as a crisis, but as an economic opportunity?

Find out today on The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat.

Highlights:

1. Welcome to New York (00:50)
2. The High Line: a case study in philanthropy and urban development (05:33)
3. Looking back on Michael Bloomberg's impact as Mayor of New York (11:38)
4. Exploring the history and legacy of Rockefeller Center (16:42)
5. Philanthropy's role in New York's cultural institutions (23:49)
6. Private-public partnerships: resilience as an economic opportunity (26:53)
7. The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts towards sustainability and urban development (29:02)
8. Meeting Jane Gilbert: the role of Chief Heat Officers (34:56)
9. What happens when heat is no longer a seasonal phenomenon? (45:52)

Links:

1. Episode Resources
2. Jane Gilbert LinkedIn
3. Michael Berkowitz LinkedIn

Urban heat is not just a weather phenomenon; it’s also something we can respond to socially. But the cities we live in are complex. Between government powers, private actors, and the public’s understanding of the issue, there are several moving parts to coordinate to achieve resilience.

So how does a city get mobilized around the heat question? What do we need to organize political action? And crucially: how can Social Architecture help fulfill resilience goals?

In the second episode of the Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat, our host Paula takes us to Paris to answer these questions.

Paris is a city that has been paving the way for heat resilience for over two decades. From its world-famous architecture to its history of political engagement, the French capital has taken adaptation seriously since 2003, after a devastating heat wave gave authorities a wake-up call. The city has since developed a web of incentives and services to respond to urban heat, and map out a more resilient future.

Today, we dissect the city’s political wiring, with a deep dive into the Parisian Mayor’s Office. We discuss local partnerships between city government and the private sector, and we also meet up with key actors in the field of urban heat; including Alexandre Florentin, who is at the forefront of this movement.

Together, we find out what it takes to connect with civil society, and engage actors across the board, beyond political party lines.

Ready to get in the heat of the action? Then, welcome to Paris.

Highlights:

1. A heat management crisis scenario (1:08)
2. What is Paris like when it’s hot? (7:05)
3. Parisian urban design: the Haussmann revolution (9:28)
4. Why it’s difficult to adapt old architecture (13:50)
5. A dive into the City of Paris Mayor’s Office (17:41)
6. Bridging the gap between the public and private sector (24:27)
7. The “Paris at 50 Degrees” project, with Alexandre Florentin (30:21)
8. How to rally different political perspectives around the heat question (36:36)
9. Commitment, partnerships, and education: the recipe for social change (40:50)
10. Beyond adaptation: what about innovation? (42:45)

Links:

1. Episode Resources
2. Alexandre Florentin LinkedIn
3. Julie Roussel LinkedIn
4. Lenio Myrivili LinkedIn

Welcome to The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat. In this four-part series, we embark on a fictional journey around the world to talk about heat and how it’s changing our lives.

Why is heat more dangerous in an urban environment? What factors affect how we live with high temperatures? And how can we respond to heat efficiently, and responsibly?

Today, our host Paula and her co-host Jack walk the streets of London to answer these foundational questions. Together, they take a tour of their city to find out how heat affects Londoners, and what we can do to adapt.

This episode outlines the risks that urban heat poses for our health, our services and our social system at large. It also provides tangible applications for adaptation, on an individual and collective level. We discuss the mechanisms that drive heat in urban environments – like the “urban heat island effect” – and interrogate specialists in the field about the changes needed for heat resilience. And as you’ll see, it all starts with social architecture: an approach to design and innovation that can reshape our behaviours.

Ready for this conversation? Then let’s venture into London and beat the heat.

Highlights:

1. Introducing London & the heat problem (0:37)
2. Factors driving urban heat (3:52)
3. Who is vulnerable to high temperatures? (7:02)
4. Heat as a systemic issue (9:25)
5. The “urban heat island effect” (12:40)
6. The Urban Heat Snapshot with Josef Hargrave (16:37)
7. Is London ready for extreme weather events? (21:17)
8. Resilient solutions and social architecture to mitigate heat (24:33)
9. Solutions at the individual level (28:26)
10. A resilient approach to innovation (31:26)
11. Political commitment to heat resilience: a tenuous question (33:30)
12. Chasing collaboration and engagement beyond London (35:05)

Links:

1. Episode Resources
2. Pegasus Website
3. Arup Website
4. Joseph Hargrave LinkedIn
5. Lenio Myrivili LinkedIn
6. Julie Roussel LinkedIn

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. For more any enquiries, please visit our website.

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The world of tomorrow is full of questions. Are we prepared for another pandemic? Can we protect our cities against extreme weather events? What if artificial intelligence could mitigate climate risks? Would 2050 look different then? There’s no roadmap for the future, but if we want to embrace change, we need to have new conversations.   

Introducing: The Philanthropist's Conversation, from Pegasus. In this show, we tackle the  biggest challenges facing the world of tomorrow.We interrogate experts in sustainable development, urban design, or government policies to dive into the hard questions and strive for a more resilient future. Together, we tap into the power of social architecture, and build a new cultural discourse to navigate the road ahead. 

For our first series, join us on a fictional journey around the world to talk about urban heat. Our cities are getting hotter, and it’s going to impact our health, our transport, our politics… In short, every part of our environment. So in the Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat, we find out what heat resilience looks like on the ground. We span four countries, climates, and social systems to break down how heat works, and how to live better with it. Because heat – it’s going to transform our day to day.

Ready for this conversation? Then join us, from September 25th, wherever you get your podcasts.