NYU Chemist Kent Kirshenbaum and Chef Will Goldfarb probe the properties, boundaries, and conventions of food
Food glorious food! Spicy pork tacos. Neopolitan pizza. Chocolate crème brulee. These mouth-watering menu items dazzle and delight the senses. But break them down into their parts and they’re merely ingredients: flour, raw meat, tomatoes, etc. Broken down further, they’re chemical elements of the periodic table, such as carbon, calcium, and nitrogen, forming chains of amino acids and polymers. Chemist Kent Kirshenbaum of NYU examines the interface between science and food so that we can better appreciate and understand what goes into our mouths and tummies. Chef Will Goldfarb explores the creation of futuristic desserts and down-home dishes using innovative, research-driven techniques. Together, Kirshenbaum and Goldfarb are founders of the Experimental Cuisine Collective. They discuss:
--What are kitchen chemistry and molecular gastronomy?
--Are chemicals (gulp) good for us?
--How does a scientific understanding of cooking help the average eater or chef?
--What mysterious concoction can they cook up on stage?
Kent Kirshenbaum is a professor of chemistry at NYU where he studies and creates new macromolecules in his lab; Dr. Kirshenbaum was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Award for “outstanding achievements in science” and a featured scientist on the Food Network’s “Food Detectives.” Will Goldfarb is an award-winning chef and the founder of WillPowder (a source for experimental pastry products); chef Goldfarb was the subject of a New Yorker magazine profile titled “The Dessert Lab,” and recently squared off on the Food Network Challenge: Ice Cream Clash.
Before & After
--Groove to freshly chopped tunes
--Stick around for the highly nutritional Q&A
--Try our brain-boggling brew of the night (containing elements from the “BEERiodic Table”)
The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, April 13 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th
No cover. Just bring your smart self! Please bring ID: 21+
Doors open at 7:15 pm. Limited seating.
