A gastronomy and technology conference led by Ferran Adrià promises to be as thought-provoking as his now shuttered restaurant El Bulli, with sessions that presage the future of food to a workshop exploring the role of food in video games. The two-day conference in Barcelona, October 17-18, will be one of the first major events hosted by Adria’s new venture, the El Bulli Foundation, touted as a culinary think tank for chefs and food scientists.
The maiden event, co-hosted with Telefónica Digital, a major telecom company in Spain, will explore how food and technology intersect and will be attended by leading food and nutrition researchers, as well as bloggers and social media players — one of their main target demographics.
On the first day, for example, a session entitled “Blog for food” will explore trends in social media around the world in the subjects of food, nutrition, online restaurant reviews and gastronomy.
“Thought for food,” meanwhile, will explore concepts like the role of food in video games — think Super Mario’s mushrooms — and how mobile apps are changing the food and drinks landscape.
It’s not the first time Spain has hosted a food event inviting chefs and computer scientists to the same conference. Madrid Fusion is a major culinary event that also explores the latest in food technology with the help of scientists.
To follow the event, check out their Twitter feed at @GastroTechDays and their website at http://www.gastrotechdays.com/.