Three Interactive Days Focused on Tensions and Technology,
November 4–6 in the Napa Valley
St. Helena, CA – The third annual reThink Food conference—a joint initiative of The Culinary
Institute of America and the MIT Media Lab—will be held November 4–6 at the CIA at Greystone in the Napa Valley.
This year’s program will explore the tensions between old and new, novel and
familiar, tradition and innovation, and abundance and scarcity in food,
technology, behavior, and design. Additionally, the conference will delve into
the intersection of food with some of technology’s most exciting advancements
around AI, robotics, virtual reality, big data, and genetics. The three-day
event will feature more interactive sessions and food experiences than ever
before while welcoming 300 food industry leaders, including academics and
innovators in design, R&D, technology, consumer package goods, and
marketing.
Sessions focus on the next chapters of innovation for both
emerging and long-established companies. Presenters will delve into
technology’s role in food safety, teach you why “you are what you eat,” and
envision the kitchen of the future. The list of speakers
includes experts in technology (Michiel Bakker of Google), innovation
(Jim Flatt of Hampton Creek), personalization and sensory
science (Lisa Mosconi of the NYU Medical School and
Charles Spence of Oxford University), agriculture technology (Caleb
Harper, MIT
Media Lab), cultured protein (Andras Forgacs of Modern Meadow and Ryan
Pandya of Muufri). Breakout sessions will provide opportunities for
interaction, such as a truly blind wine tasting and a “Startup
Studio,” where
big ideas can be brainstormed.
“By exploring key tensions that permeate the fields of food,
innovation, technology, and design, we can identify novel, business-friendly
solutions to re-architect our food systems,” says Greg Drescher, the CIA’s
vice president of industry leadership. “From opportunities that lie between
low-tech and high-tech to understanding how the tensions of fast versus slow
affect our food values and experiences, reThink Food
brings leaders together to solve some of today’s and tomorrow’s toughest
challenges.”
Caleb Harper, director of the Open Agriculture Initiative at
the MIT Media Lab, explains, “Over the last few years there’s been an explosion
in interest in food, and there are so many types of conferences. But what’s
different at reThink food is that we bring together
such diverse groups, and we try to look at those groups through different
lenses: What do AI and robotics have to do with food? What are the latest
advancements of genetics? How do technology, culture, and the enjoyment of food
come together for an interesting future? That’s what reThink Food is all about.”
For a taste of reThink Food, a
webcast of the 2015 conference
general sessions is available for viewing. Other details, all program
information, and a registration link for the 2016 conference are available on www.re-thinkfood.org.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Images:
Photo 1 (top photo): The third annual reThink Food conference, a joint production
from The Culinary Institute of America and the MIT Media Lab, will take place
at the CIA at Greystone campus in Napa Valley, November 4–6, 2016. (Design credit: J Wright Design; courtesy
the CIA and the MIT Media Lab)
View hi-res image >
Photo 2: Attendees
of reThink Food enjoy food, wine, and networking
opportunities in the CIA’s historic barrel room during conference breaks. (Photo credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Photo 3: Caleb
Harper, co-organizer of the reThink Food conference
and director of the Open Agriculture initiative at the MIT Media Lab will
present information about urban agriculture during the reThink Food conference in the Napa Valley in November. (Photo credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Photo 4: Greg Drescher, vice president of strategic initiatives and
industry leadership at The Culinary Institute of America, will open discussions
about opportunities that exist between tradition and technology at this year’s reThink Food conference. (Photo credit: Kristen Loken/CIA)
View hi-res image >
Media Contact:
Jan Smyth
Marketing Manager
845-451-1457
j_smyth@culinary.edu
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to driving leadership development for the foodservice and hospitality industry, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degrees in food business management, culinary science, and applied food studies; associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; and executive education through its Food Business School. Its conferences and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, world cuisines & cultures, and professional excellence & innovation. The college also offers certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its worldwide network of 49,000 alumni includes leaders in every area of foodservice and hospitality. The CIA has campuses in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
About the MIT Media Lab:
Actively promoting a unique, antidisciplinary culture, the MIT Media Lab goes beyond
known boundaries and disciplines, encouraging the most unconventional mixing
and matching of seemingly disparate research areas. It creates disruptive
technologies that happen at the edges, pioneering such areas as wearable
computing, tangible interfaces, and affective computing. Today, faculty
members, research staff, and students at the Lab work in 25 research groups on
more than 350 projects, from digital approaches for treating neurological
disorders, to social assistive robots, to advanced imaging technologies that
can “see around a corner.” The Lab is committed to looking beyond the obvious
to ask the questions not yet asked whose answers could radically improve the
way people live, learn, express themselves, work, and play. For more
information, visit media.mit.edu.
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