Chefs and researchers: Culinary practitioners' views on interaction between gastronomy and sciences

: Fooladi Erik, Hopia Anu, Lasa Daniel, Arboleya Juan-Carlos

Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

: 2019

: International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science

: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GASTRONOMY AND FOOD SCIENCE

: INT J GASTRON FOOD S

: 15

: 6

: 14

: 9

: 1878-450X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.11.003

Recent years has seen an increase in collaboration between academics and artisans in the field of gastronomy. Accounts have been given both in research reports and elsewhere, often as recurring stories framed as best-practice examples or stories of success and innovation. In the work herein, we have sought to study the conditions, possibilities, and limitations of such collaborations in depth. Theoretically, the work is framed in various forms of disciplinarity (inter-, multi-and transdisciplinarity), seeking to shed light on collaboration between, or across, disciplines and professions. The empirical material consists of answers received from 43 food professionals from Finland (9), Norway (8), Spain (15), USA (11), to an online survey concerning their views of interaction/collaboration between chefs and researchers, i.e., gastronomy and sciences. The study follows a mixed-methods design in data collection and analysis, featuring both quantitative survey data and written accounts. The results indicate that the chefs, most of which already have experience with such collaboration, are knowledge-oriented, innovation-oriented, and expressly positive to cross-discipline/cross-profession collaboration. Furthermore, they believe that both chefs and researchers may benefit from such collaboration, and the majority believe they would personally be able to contribute to the work of researchers. Lack of time and resources are stated as main obstacles, but not unanimously. Other barriers to collaboration are getting in touch with researchers, disruption in a hectic and high-paced workday, and domain-specific language/discourse. The results are discussed in relation to modes of collaboration across and between disciplines as well as existing research on science and gastronomy.