For many people, [ƒoam] equals food. Food gathering as performance art, preparation as design-science, consumption as a social celebration and distribution as participatory economics. Beside being self-taught cooks and foodies, we are authentic ‘food geeks’. With our keen interest in ‘culinology’ (or the “science of deliciousness”), as well as the social, economic and political aspects of food, we work to demystify the processes of food production, preparation, presentation and distribution. Food isn’t just fuel, it’s one of the oldest cultural products, a symbol of hospitality and sharing. Food grows from our relationship with the environment and it should be cherished and respected as such. The entire process of turning growing things into mouth-watering dishes should be filled with excitement.

We incorporate food into everything we do: from transdisciplinary team-building, to thematic food events and weekly meetings. We start in the wild, move onto farmers’ markets, build relationships with co-ops around the world, or ‘fab our own’ in kitchen-style chemistry labs. We then proceed with meticulous food experiments; whether working with the forgotten tastes of wild plants, exploring ‘time-based’ textures, pairing flavours based on their chemical constituents, or mixing food and digital media. We look for dishes that can nourish people’s souls, as well as their senses. As the gastronome Brilliat-Savarin noted three centuries ago, “the discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.”

“The whole nature is a conjugation of the verb 'to eat' whether active or passive” William Ralph Inge (from Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan)

Related: Flavour Pairings, Molecular Gastronomy, Food Quotes, sidebar, Shojin Ryori and in pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/sets/72157594203511827/