Table Settings

On Thursday, Oct. 27, 2017, "Table Settings: Food Conversations at the Schwarzman Center" featured four world-renowned chefs who talked with students about significant issues and trends in the changing world of food. The chefs designed a multi-course dinner for students’ enjoyment and discussed fundamental questions, such as: Where does our food come from? What does it mean to eat well? How does food affect our sense of community and identity, in addition to our health and happiness? Live and pre-recorded video footage provided context for the discussion of those and other issues. The conversation were moderated by Jeff Gordinier, Food & Drinks Editor of Esquire magazine.

About the Chefs

Suvir Saran
Founder of Tapestry in New York City, Saran views the kitchen as both a culinary and spiritual haven. His lifelong passion for the traditional flavors of Indian cooking has led him to become an accomplished chef, cookbook author, educator, and farmer.

Elizabeth Falkner
Founder of Citizen Cake, located in the San Francisco Bay area, Falkner is an acclaimed pastry chef and restaurateur, who seized the first place trophy in the World Pizza Competition in Naples, Italy in the Freestyle category in 2012. As a social activist, she promotes childhood nutrition and human rights.

Bryan Voltaggio
Reinventor of American cuisine through a commitment to farm-to-table cuisine and the executive chef and owner of six restaurants, Voltaggio has been a competitor on both Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. He is also a philanthropist who supports Share Our Strength (SOS), and has raised over half a million dollars to support organizations that fight childhood hunger.

Tom Vaccaro
Dean for Baking and Pastry at the Culinary Institute of America, Vaccaro has served as executive pastry chef at top hotel restaurants around the United States. A chef and mentor, he is the recipient of over two dozen awards and medals.

Read More

Read more in Yale News.