Losing one’s sense of smell and consequent ability to detect flavor is a devastating experience. This sensory loss, which has afflicted millions due to COVID-19, not only impacts sensory pleasure, it can trigger depression, disordered eating, and feelings of isolation.
For culinary professionals, smell and taste loss is doubly tragic. Even temporary loss or alterations can have a profound impact on their lives and livelihoods, and the fear of permanence can be crippling. The inability to smell smoke or gas can be especially dangerous in the kitchen.
While many have been afflicted, few have been courageous enough to overcome potential stigma and speak out about their loss. In an online presentation moderated by Rachel Herz, Ph.D., neuroscientist, author and world-leading expert on the science of smell, you’ll hear first-hand about the impact of COVID and smell loss on the culinary world, from these esteemed panelists:
Jameeale Arzeno, Chef/Founder, CHICpeas, Bronx, New York
Hannah Cupples, Executive Chef, For Chef’s Sake, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Dan Davis, Wine Director, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, Louisiana
Hannalee Pervan, Head Chef/Co-Owner, One House Bakery, Benicia, California
From their first inklings of the loss, to the lessons learned about resilience, flavor, healing, and the power of speaking out, this promises to be a rare opportunity for insight into one of the most challenging experiences in the culinary world.
This special online presentation is open to everyone interested in the experience of smell loss and the particular challenges of the culinary world.
On Zoom: Thursday, October 19 at 11:00 AM (EST)
Tickets are $25. RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE.
+ + +
Meet the Panelists:
More about the Panelists:
Jameeale Arzeno is the founder of CHICpeas, a culinary-themed family entertainment company that provides a first-rate experience to budding chefs. She began her culinary career as an apprentice at Le Grand Louvre at the Louvre museum in Paris, and has worked at Forty Four under the direction of Geoffrey Zakarian, at Ken Aretsky’s Patroon, and as a pastry chef for Chef Allen in North Aventura and at the Grand Bay Hotel. She’s held management positions with the Fireman Hospitality Group and Jean-Georges Management, where she was the only Afro-Latina manager in the organization, the first woman to have a child, and the first to receive full benefits and pay during her maternity leave. In 2015, Arzeno founded CHICpeas, a dynamic new model for children’s enrichment and family entertainment that provides a first-rate experience to budding chefs. CHICpeas encourages curiosity, creativity, and social growth and ignites Bronx families’ passion for food as art and love for the kitchen.
Cupples provides private culinary services, specializing in tasting menu-style dinners and meal prep for those who have heavy dietary restrictions or are immunocompromised. She has been working in restaurants and hotels for over a decade, constantly striving to learn and discover the best flavors and techniques. From her Classical European-style Apprenticeship, to running restaurants throughout Colorado, to National Competitions and Stages, Cupples has a wealth of experience that she draws upon constantly to customize each client's experience.
Davis is a James Beard Award nominee and Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers who oversees the 2,600-bottle list at Commander’s Palace. He began his culinary career as a waiter at Palace Café, then became a managing partner in a small bakery before seeking a position at the New Orleans flagship restaurant of Chef Emeril Lagasse. During an eight-year tenure with Emeril’s Restaurants he began his wine journey, developing a passion for learning about and serving the great wines of the world. In 2010, this journey would place him at the helm of the wine program at the venerable Commander’s Palace, where Davis built one of the great wine cellars in American restaurants today. Among many other awards, Commander’s Palace has received the Wine Spectator Grand Award each year since 2012, a distinction currently held by only 93 restaurants in the world.
Rachel Herz, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and world-leading expert on the psychological science of smell. She is a professor at Brown University and the author of Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food (2018; W.W. Norton & Co) , That’s Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion (2012; W.W. Norton & Co) and The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell (2007; Harper Collins). Herz is an advisor to the World Taste and Smell Association.
Hannalee Pervan is living her dream of owning her own bakery. She studied Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (on a basketball scholarship). She then earned a Patisserie Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Canada, and won a gold medal in the Skills Canada Pastry competition both for Ontario and all of Canada. Pervan spent the next ten years working in the baking industry, from Porto’s in Los Angeles to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, California. At Bouchon Bakery, she made the bread for The French Laundry and Thomas Keller’s other Yountville restaurants. In 2018, Pervan opened One House Bakery in Benicia, CA. They make everything from scratch in-house, including milling their own whole-grain flour, laminating pastries, and butchering meats. One House Bakery now employs 55 people, 80% being women.
This presentation will be recorded and available to ticket holders only.