Interviews

Meathead is an American food writer, chef, and website publisher, whose writing focuses on barbecue, grilling, and smoking. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. He is also a former columnist for the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and AOL.

Dr. Marion Nestle is on a very short list of the most respected people in the world of food and nutrition. She is Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University. She is also Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell. She holds a PhD in molecular biology as well as an MPH and two honorary degrees. Dr. Nestle is the author, co-author, or co-editor of fifteen books, several of them prize-winning, and her X (Twitter) account has been named among the top 10 in health and science by Time Magazine, Science Magazine, and The Guardian. She has received many, many awards and honors.

Nik Sharma, a former molecular biologist, is the author, photographer, and recipe developer behind Nik Sharma Cooks/A Brown Table and The Flavor Files newsletter. He is a contributor to the Serious Eats, the New York Times, Food52, and The Guardian. He is also the recipient of an IACP Trailblazer Award and has twice been a James Beard finalist. He has appeared on Chef’s Secrets: The Science of Cooking (PBS), The Road to Cooking, and the upcoming series Confluence (PBS).

Gil Carvalho, MD & PhD, is a physician, research scientist, and science communicator. Dr. Carvalho became a medical doctor at the University of Lisbon, in his native Portugal, and later obtained a PhD in Biology from Caltech (California Institute of Technology). He has published peer-reviewed medical research spanning the fields of genetics, molecular biology, nutrition, behavior, aging and neuroscience.

Dr. Simpson is Academic Director and Professor at the University of Sydney. He spent 22 years at Oxford, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and has been prominent in media and TV, appearing on National Geographic, Animal Planet, and History Channels. Dr. Raubenheimer is Professor of Nutritional Ecology at the University of Sydney. He spent 17 years at Oxford, and he now heads the Sydney Food and Nutrition Network and is a member of the Australian National Committee for Nutrition.

Dr. Nathan Myhrvold is the founder of Modernist Cuisine and lead author of the book series. He routinely pushes the boundaries of culinary science as a chef, scientist, and photographer. The former CTO of Microsoft holds several degrees, including a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics, two master’s degrees, and a culinary diploma from École de Cuisine La Varenne. In 2017 he opened Modernist Cuisine Gallery, which has locations in New Orleans and La Jolla.

James Beard Award-winning author Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. His books include: Wild Fermentation; The Art of Fermentation; The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved; Fermentation as Metaphor; and his latest, Fermentation Journeys.

Quinn Fucile is a cookbook author and experimental cook. Four-time James Beard award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern calls Quinn, “The ‘Food Nerd’ everyone should be following.” Despite a physical disability, he published his book Gelato Obsession in 2021, is an active recipe developer, works for the culinary technology company Booker and Dax, and is a co-host on the popular podcast, “Cooking Issues.” In addition to his book, his recipes are published on his YouTube and Instagram pages.

Professor Charles Spence, PhD, is the head of Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory, specializing in the study of how people perceive the world — in particular, how our brains process information from each of our senses to form the extraordinarily rich, multisensory experiences that fill our daily lives. Charles has published over 500 articles in scientific journals and has won many awards for his work.

Chef Kären Jurgensen is the founder of sustainability curriculum at Seattle Culinary Academy and one of the school’s senior culinary instructors. She is a recognized leader in the local and national food communities, and she spends time supporting many organizations, sitting on the Boards of a few. She spends summers at Quillisascut Cheese Company’s Farm School teaching professional chefs, culinary students, and agricultural professionals farm-to-table immersion courses and philosophy. She is the co-author of Rethinking the Kitchen: the sustainable kitchen handbook and Chefs on the Farm cookbook. She has won many awards and honors for her work in sustainability, including the Chefs Collaborative National “Sustainer” Award and being named “Edible Education Hero” by Chef Alice Waters.

Dr. Harold McGee is a James Beard award-winning and world-renowned authority on the science of food and cooking. Named one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, McGee earned his PhD at Yale University. He has written prize-winning books, including On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, along with many articles and reviews. He was also named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine.

Dave Arnold is the founder and president of the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), the host of the radio show Cooking Issues, an owner of Booker and Dax (a food and drink research lab in New York), a food science writer and editor, the author of Liquid Intelligence: The Art & Science of the Perfect Cocktail, and an innovator in the field of culinary technology.