pioneers of gastronomy

the fathers of molecular gastronomy, international workshop of molecular gastronomy, 5 goals of gastronomy, the food network, chefs of molecular gastronomy

Gastronomy was defined by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1825) in the Physiology of Taste as, "everything connected with the nourishment of man." Alternately, Merriam Webster defines it as "the art or science of good eating."

As clear as the founding fathers of molecular gastronomy were that it was to be a science, the very definition of gastronomy lies in a nebulous terrain that is not strictly science but one where the vein of the culinary arts runs squarely across.

the fathers of molecular gastronomy

Molecular gastronomy was born in 1988, when two scientists, Nicholas Kurti and Herve This, created a new scientific discipline to investigate culinary transformations, specifically the chemistry and physics behind the preparation of food.

international workshop of molecular and physical gastronomy

Kurti and This organized the first "International Workshop of Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" in 1992 in Erice, Italy, and invited both chefs and scientists to advance the dialogue of this new science. When Kurti died in 1998, This shortened the name to the "International Workshop of Molecular Gastronomy." It remains a biennial invitation-only gathering of notable chefs and scientists

the 5 goals of molecular gastronomy

When This presented his Ph.D. dissertation "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" at the University of Paris in 1996, he identified five goals of this new science: "(1) to collect and investigate old wives’ tales about cooking; (2) to model and scrutinize existing recipes; (3) to introduce new tools, products, and methods to cooking; (4) to invent new dishes using knowledge from the previous three aims; and (5) to use the appeal of food to promote science" (This, 2006).

Of the original five goals, only the first two corresponded to science. The other goals were application and educational offshoots of the science of molecular gastronomy.

Today, molecular gastronomy still creates uncertainty. The chimerical food creations we witness today—fruit caviar, hot ice cream, and foam sauces—are creative kitchen applications of the science. The many names given to capture this kitchen approach, ranging from molecular gastronomy to culinary alchemy, fundamentally refer to the same idea: Tapping into science to improve cooking processes and expand culinary innovation.

Harold McGee (2004), an award-winning food writer and eminent contributor to the field, perhaps said it best with the words "the science of deliciousness."

Peter Barham, a polymer physicist at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and a prolific contributor in the field, noted the interdisciplinary nature of the new science of molecular gastronomy. It encompasses a wide variety of topics, which includes understanding the effect of cooking methods on the attributes of food, the investigation of new cooking methods to improve and create new experiences in food, and the cerebral and sensorial interpretation of foods (Barham, 2008).

Thus, it is no wonder that a new crop of avant-garde chefs (i.e., practitioners of the molecular gastronomy movement) seek not only to delight the guests’ palates, but also evoke emotion and stimulate all other senses, making their food nothing short of a performance.

the food network

It is also interesting to note that the early history of molecular gastronomy coincided with an American cultural phenomenon, the Food Network cable television station. The Food Network, launched in 1993, popularized the idea of food to the masses on an unrelenting 24/7 basis.

The increasing media spotlight we see on molecular gastronomy in the United States—the recent episodes of "Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie: The Science of Deliciousness" (Gourmet, 2008) and "Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie: Avant-garde A la Carte" (Gourmet, 2008), feature articles in Popular Science magazine (2007) focusing on the new science of food, and coverage in The New York Times newspaper comparing chefs to chemists (Chang, 2007)—is perhaps no accident but the inevitable intersection of science and popular culture, held together by the fascination with food.

"The Food Network' was just starting in New York, and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money, so if you couldn't get there by subway, you couldn't be on. It wasn't like TV was something I really wanted to do - but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants."--- bobby flay

chefs of molecular gastronomy

chef ferran adria

Sometimes called the "Salvador Dali of the kitchen," chef Ferran Adria has popularized the molecular gastronomy movement worldwide with his foams and faux caviar.

Best known for his culinary foams, stabilized with gelatin or lecithin, Adria does not use the term molecular gastronomy, and says, "There isn’t a molecular cuisine. There’s a molecular movement, the molecular gastronomy, where some scientists cooperate with the world of cooking" (eG Forums, 2004). Adria’s place in culinary history began in the 1980s when he was promoted to head chef of a traditional French restaurant located on the Catalonian coast of Spain, north of Barcelona, named El Bulli (Moore, 2008).

Today, El Bulli is a three Michelin star restaurant, which Restaurant magazine recently ranked No. 1 in the world for the past three consecutive years (Harding, 2008).

"Everywhere the sky is blue. There are a multitude of cuisines and dishes. I think of them as the languages and dialects of food." ---ferran adria

chef heston blumenthal

Whether chefs made the term molecular gastronomy famous or the term made them famous, it’s sometimes taboo to use the term to describe their work. Another chef who has played a major role in developing the movement is Heston Blumenthal, chef of Fat Duck, in Bray, England.

He said, "the term creates artificial barriers" (The Observer, 2008). Known for its bacon and egg ice cream, the Fat Duck earned three Michelin stars in 2004, and has been named one of the top three restaurants in the world by Restaurant magazine since 2004 (Harding, 2008). Some of his popular dishes—snail porridge and salmon poached with licorice—excite the senses, and sometimes, challenge the palate.

"If it doesn't taste good it doesn't go on the menu. To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location and the company as it is about the taste. I tend to take negative comments to heart." ---heston blumenthal

chef grant achatz

Grant Achatz, whom many consider a true American pioneer in this movement, calls the food "progressive American" at his Alinea restaurant in Chicago, Ill.

While tapping into science to create his foods, he distances himself from molecular gastronomy, which he notes, feels like a science class. Achatz wants his restaurant to feel more like the "performing arts" (savorycities, 2007).

Known for its innovative approach to dining, Alinea’s customers may experience a floral or herbal aroma-filled pillow to complete the experience of the food on their plate. Achatz’s formula for success is undeniable; Alinea was named the "Best Restaurant in America" in 2006 by Gourmet magazine.

"Whenever people are faced with any sort of adversity... they tend to gravitate toward things that make them comfortable, and things that they feel are important." ---grant achatz

chef wylie Dufresne & chef homaro cantu

Also leading the American charge are Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 in New York, N.Y., and Homaro Cantu of Moto in Chicago.

These chefs continue to inspire and fascinate, as they create from the crossroads of culinary arts and science.

"I was working for a chef a long time ago who told me to not skip steps or be in a hurry. Success in a kitchen is more like a marathon and less like a sprint. Rising up the ranks too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing." ---wylie dufresne

"Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom's homemade lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past. The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years." ---homaro cantu

in conclusion

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the term started to be used to describe a new style of cooking in which some chefs began to explore new possibilities in the kitchen by embracing science, research, technological advances in equipment and various natural gums and hydrocolloids produced by the commercial food processing industry.

It has since been used to describe the food and cooking of a number of famous chefs, though many of them do not accept the term as a description of their style of cooking.

Despite their central role in the popularization of science-based cuisine, both Adria and Blumenthal have expressed their frustration with the common mis-classification of their food and cooking as "molecular gastronomy".

On 10 December 2006 Blumenthal and Harold McGee published a 'Statement on the "New Cookery" in the Observer in order to summarize what they saw as the central tenets of modern cuisine. Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se signed up to this and together released a joint statement in 2006 clarifying their approach to cooking, stating that the term "molecular gastronomy" was coined in 1992 for a single workshop that did not influence them, and that the term does not describe any style of cooking.

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