The word 'TRANS*ORM' with the letter 'O' replaced by a star-shaped asterisk.

Let's Cook/Think Together

Food Preparation is a Vehicle for Reflection

Transform is an interactive ideation method developed by Mycelium that can be implemented in any situation where innovative solutions, problem-solving, or fresh ideas are needed. Its main objective is to help participants become fully present and, thus, access their entire thinking and creative potential.

An old, rusty meat cleaver with a wooden handle on a black background.
People participating in an event involving the preparation of large stalks of rhubarb on a wooden table
Yellow pills scattered on a black background.
Person peeling corn husks in a kitchen setting, with a metal bowl and additional corn husks on the table.
A red soup pot filled with a creamy soup, isolated on a white background.
Wooden rolling pin with handles on a white background
Person kneading dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin in the background.
Close-up of a person scooping seeds from a yellow pumpkin with a spoon.
A metal colander with two handles, used for draining liquids from food.
Black text with the phrase 'You Don't Have to Like Me' in a handwritten font, with an orange arrow pointing to the left above the text.
Gold cursive word 'love' on black background.
Fresh green broccoli floret isolated on black background.

It puts a twist on the social acts of idea-sharing and discussion by immersing participants in food preparation processes that occupy hands and clear minds. The collective action of making food together is a potent bonding activity that exposes participants to the elements they are thinking about, can inspire creativity and invite new perspectives and feelings.

Video credits: Bernat Alberdi & Video Illustrations by Perlita Calvario

Our Awards

Logo with a circular radar-like icon and the text "Next Generation Foresight Practitioners" in purple.

2023 NGFP Fellow

Logo of the Association of Professional Futurists featuring a stylized blue compass needle within concentric circles.

2023 INGENUITY Award

By individually participating in a collective effort, we set the stage for meaningful dialogues, togetherness, and collaborative insights.

A blue starburst shape on a black background.

The End Result of a Transform Session:

A red cartoon tomato with a white sketch of an inner circle design.

Alignment

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New perspectives and angles

Illustration of a sunny side up fried egg with a white outer ring and a yellow yolk in the center.

Unexpected
ideas

A light beige oval button with black text that reads 'Click Me'.

Stronger bonds

Red stylized lowercase letter 'a' with a black background.

Newfound Inspiration

Black and white abstract drawing with multiple horizontal lines of varying thickness and slant.
Simple abstract logo with a red semicircle on the left and a black pointed shape on the right, connected by a small gap.

Increased tolerance toward different perspectives

How It Unfolds:

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Alignment Session

We define and refine the area of interest or challenge we’ll work on during the Transform session.

Black silhouette of a bowl or dish with a wide, curved rim.

Session Design and Pitch

We design a unique experience that suits the pitch using the collected information. We do this in collaboration with chefs, designers, and innovation experts. These ideas will be the starting point for collaboration with the project's sponsors.

Black and white illustration of a half-circle shape with a curved top and straight bottom.

Logistics

We meet, brainstorm, and fine-tune details in preparation for the event. We ensure all your needs are met and the event is carefully designed to obtain the desired results.

Black silhouette of a rounded object, possibly a cartoon character's head or hat.

Transform Session

The big day! Everything will be ready, you just need to show up! As participants gather to perform seemingly simple tasks, like garlic peeling or corn shucking, they'll find themselves enveloped in scents and inspired by vivid imagery. With silent minds and present hands, new ideas and insights will soon start forming, and profound conversations will happen.

Simple illustration of a black wine bottle and a red pitcher with a handle and white lines.

A Shared Meal

All attendants will feast on the fruits of their labor. This isn't a typical catered meal but the tangible outcome of a moment of togetherness and a profound brainstorming experience. All throughout, the conversations will keep flowing. 

A black silhouette of an oval-shaped egg with no additional details.

Final Outcome

We'll capture the session's results in a strategic report that will be shared with all the relevant stakeholders.

Past Editions

  • A woman wearing a pink and black polka dot dress is measuring a piece of paper on a white table with a measuring guide. The table has floral arrangements, glasses, a pink card, and utensils.

    Water futures.

  • Close-up of two people sitting at a table, with one person holding a yellow ruler or measuring tool. The table is decorated with flowers, wine glasses, and place settings.

    Water Futures.

  • A group of people working together around a large table with artichoke leaves, in a room with a large screen displaying a question in Spanish.

    Interegenerational explorations.

  • People gathered around a table examining and holding pieces of a large, peeled sugarcane stalk during an event.

    Intergenerational explorations.

Participant Testimonials

Attending Shifting Terrains: Exploring Climate-induced Migration Through Food with Estefania, Siddhi, John, and Daniel was one of the most thoughtful and deeply embodied workshop experiences I’ve encountered.

What made it exceptional was its ability to move beyond conventional workshop structures and create something profoundly human. Through participatory design, sensory engagement, and cultural storytelling, the experience transformed a complex issue like climate-induced migration into something tangible, personal, emotional, and deeply reflective.

Rather than treating foresight as purely intellectual or overly structured, the workshop created space and conditions for insight to emerge through culture, storytelling, and the most universal human experience we share: food. Sitting together afterward and experiencing the gastronomic creations shaped by our collective stories felt less like a workshop conclusion and more like a family gathering rooted in shared meaning, reflection, and connection.

What made this methodology so powerful was its ability to bridge futures thinking with embodied experience. It reminded me that some of the deepest reflections do not always emerge through hyper-optimization, but through thoughtfully designed but organic moments of presence, pleasure, and exchange.

Truly, this is a methodology with universal relevance because food, at its core, is one of humanity’s most powerful connectors.

— Abdulrahman Alsulaimi, Teaching Faculty at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University,  attended TRANSFORM in the Dubai Future Forum

What stayed with me most from the workshop was how effectively it transformed abstract conversations about climate migration, scarcity, and resilience into something embodied and deeply human. Through the simple act of collaboratively preparing food, the workshop surfaced real dynamics of cooperation, competition, adaptation, and care.

I especially appreciated how the changing conditions — limited ingredients, shifting teams, and resource constraints — created moments of uncertainty that mirrored the social and emotional realities of displacement. It made futures thinking feel tangible rather than theoretical.

I could see this methodology being incredibly valuable in many contexts: community engagement processes, climate adaptation conversations, migration and humanitarian work, education, systems thinking workshops, and even organizational strategy sessions. The workshop creates a unique space where people connect relationally first, which opens up more honest, empathetic, and collaborative conversations about complex futures.

— Miguel Bello, director of Pluriversa, attended TRANSFORM in the Dubai Future Forum

What stayed with me most from the workshop was how powerful the sensory and hands-on collaborative experience was in opening up perspectives around migration, climate change, culture, belonging, loss, grief, and starting over.

Preparing food together while navigating the scenario made the implications feel personal, embodied, and emotionally tangible in a way that a report or presentation could never achieve.

Working alongside participants from different cultures and backgrounds added further richness to the experience, allowing emotions, memories, and reflections to surface organically. Having food at the center of the workshop created both nuance and connection, revealing shared human experiences while also highlighting the complexities of displacement and meaning-making.

By far, this has been one of the few workshop experiences that truly stayed with me long after it ended, and I continue to reference it as a story and example in my own work today.

— Heba Alhadyian, Association of Professional Futurists, attended TRANSFORM in the Dubai Future Forum
A blurred image of a concrete surface with two blurred objects on either side. The object on the left appears to be a stack of rings, and the object on the right looks like a person's face. In the center of the image, there is a block of text with repeated words related to cutting and peeling, and at the bottom, the word 'TRNSF*RM' is visible.
Red starburst shape with multiple points on a black background.
A red, jagged, mountain-shaped graph with peaks of varying height.

Let’s Transform the World

Book a free introductory session, and we’ll tell you more about how to use Transform to solve problems in your organization.

Get in Touch

Trusted by

Dubai Future Forum

Invisible Studio

EIT Food

Gobierno de Navarra