Show me a devout food lover, and I’ll show you a committed sensualist.

Few things in life, aside from the obvious, provide the rapture of sensory stimulation evoked by a fine meal — whether it's as simple as a whiff of cinnamon, or as complex as a multi-layered creation of flavors and aromas that make one’s head spin.

There have recently been commentaries published about “food porn” as schtick, where ‘orgasmic’ dishes are regaled with delight, and ‘hot’ chefs are celebrated as the new ‘It’ girls and boys. That’s not why we are here.

For us, the sensual experience is an ethereal one, where food is an intimate subject we approach with utmost sincerity; but the sensuality is equally an intellectual pursuit — the why behind the rapture.

Rather than spotlight the trendy, we are focusing on the roots of cuisine itself, and celebrating the art of experiencing food and wine via the senses — in cooking, in tasting, and in understanding.  In short, we are food philosophers.

We hope you will join us on this route of gastronomic exploration and discovery, and that your senses will be tickled by the ruminations on these pages.

For the curious, the phrase "gastronomic meditations" (which was also the original name of this publication) is a salute to Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, one of the first food philosophers, whose wry wit and cheeky humor undoubtedly made him a must-have on any guest list.  His tome, The Physiology of Taste: Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy, is one that has provided me with many hours of pleasure.

If we can impart even a fraction of what he has on the world of cuisine, we will consider ourselves quite fortunate. We're delighted you are here to share the adventure with us.

Gastronomically yours,


Jennifer L. Iannolo
Founder, Editor-in-Chief


UPDATE: My weekly Food Philosophy podcast explores this dynamic in more detail, as we showcase the thoughts of chefs and explore gastronomy and sensuality in a new format -- all with a heaping tablespoon of sass.

P.S. If you want to know more about us individually, see our Masthead. We even smiled for the camera.

Photo: Kelly Cline