The Sixth MAD Symposium
At a fraught time in the world, when toxicity of politics makes it nearly impossible for people of differing perspectives to talk about actual issues, the sixth MAD Symposium “Mind the Gap” worked to bridge the divide between where we are now and where we strive to be. The solution, we believe, is to begin our discussion from common ground. In allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and make room for candid conversations, we can strive to improve, to do better, to keep moving, to stay curious, and to bring people together to close the gap.
Schedule
The schedule for MAD6 — Mind the Gap
Day One
Friday, 26th August
Jay Fai’s Famous Crab Omelet
Jay Fai, chef-owner of Raan Jay Fai, opens the stage, goggles on, with a live demo of her famous crab omelet
No More Cock-Rock
Ben Shewry, chef-owner of Attica, in conversation with Lisa Abend, on why building a good kitchen means actually meaning what you say
Am I Good Enough?
Kamilla Seidler, head chef of Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia, on spearheading the Bolivian food movement and the self-doubt that followed her home to Denmark
How To Reverse Climate Change
Chad Frischmann, VP and Research Director at Project Drawdown, on what our food systems are doing to the climate, and what they could do instead
Why Is What You Do Important?
Vincent Hendricks, Professor of Formal Philosophy and Head of Center for Information and Bubble Studies at University of Copenhagen, makes the case that restaurants have more power than they think, and a responsibility to use it
Owning It
Rosio Sanchez, chef-owner at Sanchez and Hija de Sanchez, on the distance between cooking under someone else’s vision and finally cooking what matters to you
Bridging The Gap Between Men and Women
Jytte Vikkelsøe, psychologist and author, on why biology, history, and culture have kept us from seeing each other clearly, and what it takes to change that
Conducting the Kitchen
Ture Larsen and Randi Beier-Holgersen, composer and senior surgeon, introduce their research on utilizing the non-verbal communication skills of conductors as an educative tool for leaders in other fields
#MeToo, Now What?
Kim Severson, Wade Davis & Lisa Donovan, Food Correspondent; Inclusion Consultant; Pastry Chef & Writer, on the reckoning that #MeToo brought to the food world and the work that still lies ahead
What Does Courage Look Like
Trish Nelson, comedian, actor and producer, holds a microscope over restaurant culture, the damage it does, and what it would take to actually fix it
On Food, Authenticity, and Culture
Romy Gill in conversation with Chris Ying, on what authenticity really means when a culinary tradition travels far from home
Day Two
Saturday, 27th August
Links Between the Culinary and Music Industries
Nina Persson & Tatiana Levha on what chefs and musicians have in common and the responsibility that comes with both
Rewriting History
Jeannette Ehlers on how art can disrupt the stories we’ve inherited, and why food can do the same
What On Earth Just Happened
Lynda Obst on life at the center of the storm in Hollywood and building something better on the other side of it
Feeding A Million
Dan Giusti on leaving noma to fix school lunch and why that might be the most important thing happening in food right now
Finding Peace in the Kitchen
Michael Miller on stress, presence, and why the kitchen might be exactly where meditation matters most
What It Takes To Open Your Own Restaurant
Clare Smyth on the gap between the restaurant you imagine and the one you actually build, and why that gap is worth crossing
Preserving Identity Through Coffee Traceability
Arthur Karuletwa on finding home as a refugee and how tracing a coffee bean back to Rwanda became an act of preservation
Nobody Puts Baby In The Kitchen
Matt Orlando, Niklas Ekstedt, Tatiana Levha & Suzanne Barr in conversation with Lars Hinnerskov Eriksen, on the reality of being a parent and a chef and what the industry needs to do about it
Videos from MAD6
Arthur Karuletwa
Preserving Identity Through Coffee Traceability
Michael Miller
Finding Peace in the Kitchen and the Mind
Jeannette Ehlers