Interviews

Jonathan Griebel is a Principal Scientist at Cargill, the largest privately held food company in the world. For many years, Jonathan was a professional chef. He has been with Cargill for over eight years, leading a great team of NPD developers. At Cargill, his team innovates at the intersection of Consumer Insights, Culinary Arts and Food Science, providing great ideas for Cargill’s Foodservice customers.

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.

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.

Adjo, born and raised in Togo, West Africa, moved to the United States at the age of fourteen. Inspired by her grandmother, who taught her the art of cooking traditional West African dishes, she began experimenting with local ingredients and evenually created her company Fufu n’ Sauce that brings the bold and authentic flavors of West Africa to the St. Louis community and beyond.

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.

In this interview with Daan Luining, we discuss his company Meatable and how they’re working to change the world by creating real meat in a lab and without killing any animals. They’ve had great success, and we talk about some of the science behind cultivated meat and how they plan to roll it out.

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.