"Understanding that small scale producers work in a healthy, unsophisticated way in close contact with, and respectful of the environment, means preserving our food culture and heritage."

Stefano Polate, known as the Space Chef, is the manager of the food engineering company Space Food Lab. The company, in collaboration with the Italian aerospace engineering company Argotec, organises the preparation of food for astronauts on behalf of heavyweights including NASA and the European, Canadian and Japanese Space Agencies. Specifically, Polato prepares Italian food for astronauts at the Turin headquarters of Agrotec.

Getting these delicious dishes beyond the stratosphere is possible because of cutting edge preservation techniques including high pressure processing, high pressure carbon dioxide pasteurisation and ionizing radiation.