The Chef

One of New York’s few exponents of molecular gastronomy Wylie Dufresne puts his culinary creations under the microscope with the aid of olfaction expert Rachel Herz.
Included in the ticket price is a pre-program tour at 6:15 p.m., the Mahasiddha Luipa, known as ‘the fishgut eater’.

About the Speakers

Wylie Dufresne is the chef and owner of wd~50 which opened in April of 2003. Frank Bruni of the New York Times awarded wd~50 three stars in March of 2008. In 2006 wd~50 received one star from the Michelin Guide, which it has retained in each subsequent year. Wylie has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards, including “Best Chef New York” for six consecutive years commencing in 2007.
Rachel Herz, Ph.D is a leading expert in the psychological science of smell. She has been conducting research on the sense of smell since 1990, has published over 65 original research papers, contributed numerous chapters to college textbooks and academic anthologies, received a variety of awards and grants, and teaches in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. Dr. Herz also consults for the world’s foremost fragrance and flavor companies, and is frequently called upon as an expert witness in cases involving the sense of smell. She is the author of The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell and most recently That’s Disgusting, whichexplores the emotion of disgust from culture to neuroscience.

About Brainwave: Illusion

The Buddha said that everything is illusion. What did he mean by that? This sixth edition of Brainwave will enlist the aid of neuroscientists to help us understand how the perception of our world is shaped by the surprising adaptability of our brains. Brainwave includes talks, special film screenings followed by discussions, interactive workshops, and much more!
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Presenting Sponsor of Brainwave 2013