WGBH radio's Henry Santoro, host of Henry In The Hub, spoke with Louisa Kasdon, of the "Let's Talk About Food" event being held on the grounds of Harvard University Saturday. Harvard University with “Let's Talk About Food,”to create a tremendous day of cooking demos, cooking competitions, panel discussions and even chats with cookbook authors. The event is free. The event is open to the public and it's happening today on the plaza at the Science Center at Harvard University. And you might just get the chance to meet the winner of the, “Are you the next Julia Child contest?" The interview below is slightly edited for clarity.
Henry Santoro: We should also say that this event is at Harvard this year. It's a new and improved version of the one that was held in Copley Square correct.
Louisa Kasdon: It is. First, I want everybody to know that there's no Harvard affiliation required to come. It's just open to the public. But I have to say after quite a few years of wonderful, wonderful run in Copley Square I honestly got tired of starting in August worrying about the weather in October. And the huge beautiful bright High-Tech Tent at Harvard in sort of the heart of the Harvard campus is just sort of the answer to my prayer.
Santoro: You've heard me say this many times. But for those who haven't heard it, and don't know my relationship with you, the easiest way for me to describe what you have done with, “Let’s Talk About Food,” is to say that you have elevated food talk to a level that is not seen in any other city. Now you've kept it fun, but let me ask you was your original mission still the mission that it is now?
Kasdon: It really is. I mean it grows and it sort of gets pulled in shape. But my goal my thought process was that when people learn a little bit about something they take for granted. It changes the way they think about it. And the more you can get people engaged and curious and educated about food they never they never approach food the same way they are conscious. I don't want to sound to sort of mind body, Woo hoo. But, I think is that once somebody knows more about where their food comes from who grows it how we waste it what the chemistry of it is how to make the food taste better…
Santoro: What is the theme of this year's event.
Kasdon: The theme for this year's event is the future of food. And we're going to be looking at what's food going to be like in the next 10 or 20 years.
Santoro: Now what can you tell us about this Julia Child competition, because you knew Julia, you know WGBH is the house that Julia built. What can you tell us about this competition?
Kasdon: This is really fun. And it's the beginning of something I think we will continue for the next year, because there are so many people who were inspired by Julia. There are so many people who sort of took their TV model from Julia Child cooking. So, we're going to present at this event three finalists and interestingly one of them is cooking a very Julia kind of recipe. One of them is an Indian chef, and she's cooking a very Indian fine recipe, and the third is Tex Mex and they were also good from their videos. That I said let's just do it this way. Let's have them all. Let's give them each 10 minutes to do their thing and see how it goes. And I think it's going to be fun.
"Let's Talk About Food" presented by Harvard University happening October 6 from 10:00a.m. till 5:00p.m. It's at Harvard Science Center Plaza. The event is free. It's open to the public.
