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.
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
By individually participating in a collective effort, we set the stage for meaningful dialogues, togetherness, and collaborative insights.
The End Result of a Transform Session:
Alignment
New perspectives and angles
Unexpected
ideas
Stronger bonds
Newfound Inspiration
Increased tolerance toward different perspectives
How It Unfolds:
Alignment Session
We define and refine the area of interest or challenge we’ll work on during the Transform session.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Final Outcome
We'll capture the session's results in a strategic report that will be shared with all the relevant stakeholders.
Past Editions
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Water futures.
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Water Futures.
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Interegenerational explorations.
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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 
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.