Fabio Parasecoli
The figure of the gourmet is central to gastronomy. However, the imagery surrounding it is central to the development of gastronomy. While some before the Revolution did attempt to bring gustatory sensuality into the realm of respectability, it was Grimod de la Reynière, followed by Brillat-Savarin, who established, consolidated, and built the empire of the respectable gourmet. But what has happened since then? And how has this evolved to the present day, in our unique digital environment? We hope to find out with Fabio Parasecoli.
Bio
Fabio Parasecoli is a professor of Food Studies at New York University. After studying East Asian cultures and political science in Rome, Naples, and Beijing, he worked as a political journalist specializing in the Middle and Far East, then as a correspondent in New York for the Italian food magazine Gambero Rosso. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Hohenheim in Germany. His research explores the intersections between food, popular culture, and politics, particularly in media, design, and heritage. His recent publications include Knowing Where It Comes From: Labeling Traditional Foods to Compete in a Global Market (2017), Food (2019), Global Brooklyn: Designing Food Experiences in World Cities (2021, co-edited with Mateusz Halawa), Gastronativism: Food, Identity, Politics (2022), Practicing Food Studies (2024, co-edited with Amy Bentley and Krishnendu Ray), and The Pierogi Problem: Reinventing Polish Food for Cosmopolitan Appetites (2025, with Agata Bachórz and Mateusz Halawa).