In this issue of Finesse, our seventh, we examine in depth how sight, sound, touch, smell and taste inform our awareness and how we experience food and life. Any chef knows that it is not just the sense of taste that is important in cooking.
In the Senses issue, we hear directly from chefs, food writers and home cooks who have put all of their senses to use, from Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons, who walks us through how all the senses can help determine when a chicken is perfectly roasted, to Michael Ruhlman, who provides tactile tips for raising awareness in the home kitchen. Chef Daniel Patterson offers music to end a hard night, and Chef Jacques Pepin contributes a painting of his, reminding us that using all the senses inspires creativity. We are immersed in sense memories through an interview with “Everybody Loves Raymond” producer Phil Rosenthal and the recipes of The French Laundry’s chef de cuisine, David Breeden. Each story and recipe of the Senses issue opens our ears, noses and minds to a new level of awareness.
Additional contributors include author Ayelet Waldman, broadcast journalist Callie Crossley, sound artist Neil Harbisson, Napa Valley’s first lady of wine Margrit Biever Mondavi, designer Jonathan Adler and a host of musicians from Chris Robinson and Bob Mould.
