Ever thought of food as being designed? I thought so. Usually we don’t. Usually we ‘just cook’ and eat. Usually a chef is the culinary designer. But we really never think of food as being designed, do we?! At least I didn’t. Before.But then along came among others Heston Blumenthal, the culinary alchemist that creates his own version of innovative style of cuisine. His search for a greater understanding of taste and flavor make him research the molecular compounds of dishes. Now that’s what I call a different style of cooking. More like….food design sort of, kind of…

You can enjoy Heston Blumenthal’s creations by visiting his restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, UK.

But there are naturally more chefs designing exciting culinary experiences, such as i.e. the two co-owners of Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark – René Redzepi and Claus Meyer. The name Noma comes from No=Nordic Ma=Mad (food in Danish), clever eh? Noma was awarded ‘The World’s Best Restaurant’ and ‘The Best Restaurant in Europe’ 2010 by The S. Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. Way to go, I’d say!

When you go to Copenhagen to savor Noma’s exquisite food (don’t forget to make reservations months and months in advance!) you just might want to stay somewhere…special?! DMKA recommends CPH Living at Christianshavn. The very same area where you find Noma. Besides, Christianshavn is a really wonderful, quirky area that is evolving and growing every day. CPH Living is only 3-star but really nice anyway. It is actually a boat, carefully renovated, floating in the canal with the feeling of freedom that large windows over looking water gives you.

Now, I get distracted by it all. What I wanted to tell ya’ll from the beginning was that the worlds first ever International Symposium on Food Experience design will take place in London on November 9th. Phew…it took me a while didn’t it?!

This symposium is a forum where researchers and practitioners will discuss, and speak about design, food and experiential knowledge of it all. It might get a bit academic, but it also might be very very interesting. However, it doesn’t end with the symposiom; The 6th Food Design Exhibition will take place between November 9-28 and it will open at 6 pm, just after the symposium. In order for you to take it all in. The Food Design Exhibition will give you a chance for all interested parties to meet with designers, chefs and professionals.

At the symposium Anna Cerrocchi will speak about Designing Food, Inga-Britt Gustafsson about The Five Aspects Meal Model, Fabio Parasecoli about A Cultural Approach to Food Experience, Linden Reilly about Form on The Plate, Sonja Stummerer and Martin Hablesreiter about What Should Food be Like to be Successful among other speakers and topics.

A place to stay in London? How about London Haymarket Hotel?

Have fun!