On Strangeness and Social Responsibility

Every time I have the profoundly fortuitous opportunity to witness a presentation by Homaro Cantu—the mad scientist behind Moto Restaurant in Chicago and Cantu Designs—it further solidifies the fact that that he is truly one of the few luminaries in our industry today. Yes, his creations defy the boundaries of what we consider food. And yes, some of his approaches might have a saccharine whiff of gimmickry. And while he has a genuine thirst for patents and closely guards his intellectual property, he defies that traditional business sense by turning around and giving some of his creations away, as he noted in his presentation to the RCA last week in New Orleans. (One example was a real-time software program that will help restaurateurs better manage their time to stay focused on staying out of the red—a program that will cost him a great deal in R&D that he will then give to the industry.)

Granted, I’ve seen public displays of Cantu’s particular brand of rollicking culinary wizardry before (see http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6bh1715528.html&m=art), so I’ve had the benefit of time to let the more-startling aspects of his work settle to a low, carbonated boil in my subconscious… But that latter bit—his dedication to social responsibility—is what really ties it all together for me more and more these days.

Perhaps it’s his troubled past (see http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/105/open_food-cantu.html for more background). Perhaps it’s a guilty conscience for the high prices at his restaurant (even though he doesn’t take a salary…). Perhaps it’s that he’s a visionary who sees that the more we open ourselves to the public domain—via routes like open-source technology—to more we stand to benefit our fellow citizens of this planet, which includes ourselves. And the more we make such altruistic steps, the more we influence others to do likewise, thereby incrementally bettering ourselves progressively over time. Starry-eyed and wildly optimistic? Yes. Impossible? Far from it.

In fact, I increasingly see corporations taking a vested interest in social responsibility. Driving market aspects like sustainable, organic, fair trade and general “ethical consumerism” all share some level of social and/or environmental responsibility, and I foresee further developments in this area in the coming months and years. Companies will continue to make a point of illustrating their level of social consciousness, and those factors will help steer consumer buying decisions.

And this is growing to way beyond the level of the annual feel-good corporate fundraising drive for a local charity that might partially greenwash other systemic levels of oppression (even though I’m sure those charity drives have the best of intentions behind them). This will likely grow to the point where every aspect of a business will fall under scrutiny, forcing change at the highest and most-global of levels.

Yes, yes. I know what you’re thinking. But mark my words—and keep your eyes open to see how many times this year the concept of corporate social consciousness enters into discussions of better business management and driving consumer decisions. I bet you’ll find yourself more than mildly surprised at the potential for growth in this area. Empowerment is a surprisingly powerful force.