The program's emphasis is on palate development and the art of dining, with in-depth analysis of the history and influences that contribute to the modern table. You'll investigate the physiology of taste in both Eastern and Western cultures, and hear from guest chefs, scientists, historians and food writers on the subject. Additionally, museum tours and a film screening will provide an artistic framework for the investigation.

You'll never approach a meal the same way again!

Day 1: The Art and Science of Tasting
Biological components of taste; Eastern vs. Western approaches to the palate; tasting workshops featuring olive oil, vinegar, tea, salt and peppercorns; screening of Babette's Feast.

Day 2: Culinary History and Gastronomical Literature
The Original "Mediterranean Diet"; the French kitchen from the Middle Ages through La Varenne; New and Old Worlds collide; the introduction of coffee, tea and cocoa; the history and chemistry of chocolate; chocolate tasting workshop; wine and cheese workshop at Vintage New York with proprietor Susan Wine.

Day 3: The Emergence of Modern Dining
The emergence of modern dining styles; Van Gogh's Table: Terroir and the French Countryside; lunch at a modern French restaurant; discussion of food writing; tour of paintings and artifacts relating to food at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cathy Kaufman is a professional chef and has been on the ICE faculty since 1995, where she specializes in historical cookery. She is an Associate Editor for the Oxford Historical Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, to be published in 2004, and a member of the Culinary Historians of New York. She has lectured on culinary history at numerous venues, including NYU, The New School University, The American Forum for Global Education, Washington and Lee University and The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery and has been published in the Journal of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, Colonial Homes Magazine and the Global Gourmet.

Alexandra Leaf is a culinary historian and lecturer whose books include The Impressionists' Table: Recipes and Gastronomy of 19th Century France and the award-winning Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux. She is the former chair of the Culinary Historians of New York and is on the advisory board of The New York Food Museum. She has lectured before such diverse organizations as The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, The Getty Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Sotheby's Institute of Art and Coppia's American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. Leaf pioneered the teaching of culinary history at The New School University.