MAD Symposium
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The MAD Symposium is an annual symposium held in
Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the Øresund strait. The Øres ...
featuring presentations from chefs, farmers, academics, thinkers, and artists. The event is hosted by the MAD Food Organization, founded in 2011 by Danish chef
René Redzepi René Redzepi (born 16 December 1977) is a Danish chef and co-owner of the Michelin Guide, three-Michelin star restaurant Noma (restaurant), Noma in the Christianshavn neighborhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. His restaurant was voted the best restau ...
, the founder of the Copenhagen-based restaurant,
Noma Noma, NoMa, or NOMA may refer to: Places * NoMa, the area North of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., US ** NoMa–Gallaudet U station, on Washington Metro * Noma, Florida, US * NOMA, Manchester, a redevelopment in England * Noma District, ...
. The two-day symposium takes place inside a circus tent along the waterfront of Refshaleøen. The audience for MAD consists predominantly of chefs, aspiring cooks, farmers, journalists, and other food service professionals.


Philosophy

MAD's purpose is to educate and raise awareness among modern chefs and food professionals, to better prepare them for the challenges and responsibilities that go beyond merely providing sustenance for a single meal. The symposium aims to feature speakers from diverse disciplines, offering different perspectives on food and culture while providing those in the kitchens with new knowledge and greater imagination.


Organization structure

MAD is a not-for-profit grassroots operation composed of a full-time team and collaborators spread throughout
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.


Main events


MAD4

The fourth MAD Symposium took place on 24th and 25th of August, 2014 and was co-curated by D.O.M. chef and founder Alex Atala. *Albert Adria — Chef, Spain * Alex Atala — Chef, Brazil * Anya von Bremzen — Journalist, Russia *
Chris Cosentino Chris Cosentino is an American celebrity chef and reality television personality known as the winner of ''Top Chef Masters'', a competitor on '' The Next Iron Chef'' and for his appearances on ''Iron Chef America''. He is known for his haute cuis ...
— Chef, USA *Chris Ying — Journalist, USA *Christine Muhlke — Author, USA *
Darina Allen Darina Hilda Allen (née O'Connell; born 13 June 1948) is an Irish chef, food writer, TV personality and founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School. Biography Darina Allen was born in Cullohill, County Laois, the eldest of nine children. The renown ...
— Chef, Ireland *Eric Schlosser— Journalist, USA * Eyvind Hellstrøm — Chef, Norway *Fulvio Pierangeli — Chef, Italy *
Hervé This Hervé This (; born 5 June 1955 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, sometimes named Hervé This-Benckhard, or Hervé This vo Kientza) is a French physical chemist who works for the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique at AgroParisTech, in Par ...
— Chemist, France *Isabel Soares— Activist, Portugal *
Jeremiah Tower Jeremiah Tower (born 1942) is an American celebrity chef who, along with Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, has been credited with pioneering the culinary style known as California cuisine. A food lover from childhood, he had no formal culinary ed ...
— Chef, USA *
Julian Baggini Julian Baggini ( , ; born 1968) is an English philosopher, journalist and the author of over 20 books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is co-founder of ''The Philosophers' Magazine'', and has written for numerous internationa ...
— Philosopher, UK *
Madhur Jaffrey Madhur Jaffrey Order of the British Empire, CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-born British-American actress, cookbook and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the weste ...
— Author, UK *Olivier Roellinger — Chef, France *Paola Antonelli — Curator, USA *
Paul Freedman Paul Harris Freedman (born September 15, 1949) is an American historian and medievalist who serves as the Chester D. Tripp Professor of History at Yale University. Freedman specializes in medieval social history, the history of Catalonia, the stu ...
— Historian, USA *
Pierre Koffmann Pierre Koffmann (born 21 August 1948) is a French professional chef. He was one of a handful of chefs in the United Kingdom to have been awarded the coveted three Michelin stars at his restaurant La Tante Claire in London. Until December 2016, ...
— Chef, UK/France *Ron Finley — Urban gardener, USA *Silvano Giraldin— Restaurant manager, UK *Tatiana Levha — Chef, France *Tatsuru Rai— Chef, Japan


MAD3

The third MAD took place on 25th and 26th August 2013, and was curated by Momofuku chef and founder
David Chang David Chang (; ; born August 5, 1977) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin st ...
and the editors of ''
Lucky Peach Momofuku is a culinary brand established by chef David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar. It includes restaurants in New York City, Toronto (defunct), Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko, Má Pêche (defunct ...
'' magazine. The theme of the symposium was "guts." MAD3 Speakers: * Alex Atala — Chef, Brazil *
Vandana Shiva Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalization author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often referred to as "Ga ...
— Environmental Activist, India * Dario Cecchini — Butcher, Italy *Christian Puglisi — Chef, Denmark *Margot Henderson — Chef, United Kingdom * Sandor Katz — Fermentation Revivalist, USA *Jon Reiner — Author, USA *Pascal Barbot — Chef, France *
Diana Kennedy Diana Kennedy (; 3 March 1923 – 24 July 2022) was a British food writer. The preeminent English-language authority on Mexican cuisine, Kennedy was known for her nine books on the subject, including '' The Cuisines of Mexico'', which changed ...
— Author, Mexico/UK *
Roy Choi Roy Choi (born February 24, 1970) is a Korean-American chef who gained prominence as the creator of the gourmet Korean-Mexican taco truck Kogi. Choi is a chef who is celebrated for "food that isn't fancy" and is known as one of the founders of ...
— Chef, USA *Cynthia Sandberg & David Kinch — Farmer & Chef, USA *Heribert Watzke — Food Scientist, Switzerland * Martha Payne — Schoolgirl Activist, Scotland *
Alain Ducasse Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants, including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide. Early life and career D ...
— Chef, France *
David Choe David Choe (born April 22, 1976) is an American artist, musician, actor, and former journalist and podcast host from Los Angeles. Choe's work appears in a wide variety of urban culture and entertainment contexts. He has illustrated and written ...
— Artist, USA *Josh Whiteland — Guide, Australia *
Barbara Lynch Barbara Lynch is a musician/singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her first album, ''Goodbye and Goodluck'', was released by Duke Street Records Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label"Barren ground for Canada's ...
— Chef, USA *Knud Romer — Author, Denmark *Daniel Klein & Mirra Fine — Activist Filmmakers, United States *Ahmed Jama — Chef, Somalia *
Jonathan Gold Jonathan Gold (July 28, 1960 – July 21, 2018) was an American food and music critic. He was for many years the chief food critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' and also wrote for ''LA Weekly'' and ''Gourmet'', in addition to serving as a regular ...
— Writer, USA *Michael Twitty — Food Historian, USA *
Jason Box Jason Eric Box is an American glaciologist who is professor in glaciology at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. For 10 years (2002-2012) he worked at Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University, eventually a tenured physical ...
— Glaciologist, USA/Denmark *Roland Rittman — Forager, Sweden


MAD2

The second MAD took place on the 1st and 2nd of July, 2012. The theme of the symposium was "appetite." MAD2 Speakers: *
Tor Nørretranders Tor Nørretranders (born 20 June 1955) is a Danish author of popular science. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His books and lectures have primarily been focused on light popular science and its role in society, often with Nørretranders' own ...
— Writer, Denmark *Roderick Sloan — Sea Urchin Diver and Ocean Explorer, Norway *
David Chang David Chang (; ; born August 5, 1977) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin st ...
— Chef, USA *
Enrique Olvera Enrique Olvera (born 1976) is a Mexican chef. He is the owner and head chef of Pujol, a Mexican haute cuisine restaurant in Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as we ...
— Chef, Mexico *
Massimo Bottura Massimo Bottura (born 30 September 1962) is an Italian chef, gastronome and entrepreneur. Massimo Bottura is Chef and owner of Osteria Francescana (located in the historic center of his native Modena), which has earned three Michelin stars and ...
— Chef, Italy *
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall (born 14 January 1965) is an English celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer, and campaigner on food and environmental issues. Fearnley-Whittingstall hosted the '' River ...
— Activist Chef, UK *Shinichiro Takagi — Chef, Japan *
Andrea Pieroni Andrea Pieroni (born 1967) is a professor of ethnobotany and ethnobiology at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, of which he was rector until 2021. Biography Pieroni took a masters in pharmacy from the University of ...
— Ethnobiologist, Italy *Patrick Johansson — Butter Viking, Sweden *
Dan Barber Dan Barber (born October 2, 1969) is the chef and co-owner of Family Meal at Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, United States. He is the author of ''The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of F ...
— Chef, USA *Chido Govera — Mushroom Farmer, Zimbabwe * Paul Rozin — Psychologist, USA * Anthony Myint &
Danny Bowien James Daniel Bowien (born 1982) is a Korean-born American chef and restaurateur. He is the founder and owner of Mission Chinese Food in New York City and Brooklyn and co-founder of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco, California. Bowien is a Ja ...
— Mission Chinese Food, USA *
Massimo Montanari Massimo Montanari, born 24 December 1949 in Imola, was Professor of Medieval History at Bologna University. He is a scholar in Food studies. His interest in the subject stems from his researches and Research, studies in Medieval agrarian society ...
— Historian, Italy * Rasmus Kofoed — Chef, Denmark *Nordic Food Lab — Denmark *Andrea Petrini — Writer, Italy *
Wylie Dufresne Wylie Dufresne is an American chef. He was previously the owner of Du's Donuts and the former chef and owner of the wd~50 and Alder restaurants in Manhattan. He now owns Stretch Pizza on 24th Street and Park in Manhattan. Dufresne is a leading A ...
— Chef, USA *Leif Sørensen — Chef, Faroe Islands *
Fergus Henderson Fergus Henderson (born 31 July 1963) is an English chef who founded the restaurant St. John on St John Street in London. He is often noted for his use of offal and other neglected cuts of meat as a consequence of his philosophy of nose to ta ...
and Trevor Gulliver — Chef and Restaurateur, UK *
Ferran Adrià Fernando Adrià Acosta (; born 14 May 1962) is a Spanish chef. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses, Girona, Roses on the Costa Brava and is considered one of the best chefs in the world. He has often collaborated with his b ...
— Chef, Spain


MAD1

The inaugural MAD took place on 27th and 28th of August, 2011. The theme of the symposium was "vegetation." MAD1 Speakers: * Alex Atala — Chef, Brazil * Tør Norretranders — Writer, Denmark *Miles Irving — Forager, UK * Daniel Patterson — Chef, USA * Yoshihiro Narisawa — Chef, Japan * Hans Herren — Policymaker, Switzerland *Kamal Mouzawak — Community leader, Lebanon *Iñaki Aizpitarte — Chef, France *Thomas Hartung — Businessman, Denmark * Magnus Nilsson — Chef, Sweden *
Jacqueline McGlade Jacqueline Myriam McGlade (born May 30, 1955) is a British-born Canadian marine biologist and environmental informatics professor. Her research concerns the spatial and nonlinear dynamics of ecosystems, climate change and scenario development. ...
— Head of the EEA, UK *Ben Shewry — Chef, New Zealand *Stefano Mancuso — Biologist, Italy *François Couplan — Forager, France *
Massimo Bottura Massimo Bottura (born 30 September 1962) is an Italian chef, gastronome and entrepreneur. Massimo Bottura is Chef and owner of Osteria Francescana (located in the historic center of his native Modena), which has earned three Michelin stars and ...
— Chef, Italy *Søren Wiuff — Farmer, Denmark *Molly Jahn — Policymaker, USA *
Michel Bras Michel Bras (born 4 November 1946) is a French chef. His restaurant located in Laguiole in the Aveyron was rated three stars in the Guide Michelin since 1999. It is also classed in the "Relais & Châteaux" since 1992. He was classed several time ...
— Chef, France *
Harold McGee Harold James McGee (born October 3, 1951) is an American author who writes about the chemistry and history of food science and cooking. He is best known for his seminal book '' On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen'', first ...
— Writer, USA *
David Chang David Chang (; ; born August 5, 1977) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin st ...
— Chef, USA *Andoni Luis Aduriz — Chef, Spain *
Gastón Acurio Gastón Acurio Jaramillo (born October 30, 1967) is a Peruvian chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He owns several restaurants in various countries, and is the author of several books. In Peru, he is the host of a television program and ...
— Chef, Peru


Other events


MAD Mondays

To prompt discussion on a local level and include those outside of the restaurant trade in the MAD community, the organization stages MAD Mondays, a series of panel discussions on food culture. In March 2014, MAD hosted a
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
edition, its first outside of Copenhagen. The talk was titled "What We Talk About When We Talk About Being a Chef," and took place at the
Drawing Center The Drawing Center is a museum and a nonprofit exhibition space in Manhattan, New York City, that focuses on the exhibition of drawings, both historical and contemporary. History The Drawing Center was founded by former assistant curator of dr ...
, featuring Peter Meehan as moderator and
Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and former restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...
, Gabrielle Hamilton,
Bill Buford William Holmes Buford (born 6 October 1954) is an American author and journalist. He is the author of the books '' Among the Thugs'' and ''Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting ...
, Lee Hanson, and Riad Nasr as panelists.


MADFeed

The MADFeed is an online publication that extends the MAD conversation throughout the year. The platform hosts news and video from MAD events, as well as articles from the MAD team. Notable guests and features to these publishings include chefs
Dan Barber Dan Barber (born October 2, 1969) is the chef and co-owner of Family Meal at Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, United States. He is the author of ''The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of F ...
and Margot Henderson, musician James Murphy, and artist
Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson (; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's experience. In 1995, ...
.


References


External links

* {{Official website, http://www.madfood.co/symposiums/ Annual events in Copenhagen Recurring events established in 2011 2011 establishments in Denmark