Chef Dan Barber
Kathleen Merrigan

The Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems welcomes world-renowned chef and author, Dan Barber, for a discussion about the commodification of taste. How can we recapture deliciousness and use it to drive regenerative agriculture? Dan will describe his latest culinary innovations, and he and Kathleen will identify policy initiatives to support joyful food. Following the presentation and audience Q&A, participants are invited to a reception to carry on informal discussion and enjoy the rooftop views. The program will be live streamed here.

Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the author of The Third Plate. Barber also co-founded Row 7 Seed Company, a seed company bringing together chefs and plant breeders in the development of new varieties of vegetables and grains. His opinions on food and agricultural policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with many other publications. Barber has received multiple James Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country's Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

Kathleen Merrigan serves as the Kelly and Brian Swette Professor in the School of Sustainability and as the executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University. Previously, Merrigan served as Deputy Secretary and COO of the United States Department of Agriculture. She is currently a board member of FoodCorps, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), World Agroforestry Centre and affiliated with Astanor Ventures and SG2, two firms investing in ag-tech innovations.